


maybe even lovers

by eversall



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-03 03:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 25,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11523468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eversall/pseuds/eversall
Summary: "...Jace and Simon would be best buds, for sure. Or maybe even lovers." - Dominic Sherwood.collection of all the jace/simon prompts I've answered on tumblr!.available inrussian.





	1. anytime with you

**Author's Note:**

> bear with me while i slowly back up all my tumblr work on ao3!! i know people have been asking for a while, because i got super lazy and stopped publishing all my work on both sites, but i'm trying to get back into the habit. give me a few weeks to sort myself out. 
> 
> anon prompted: 
> 
> "I found your blog today by accident and it looks like you take shadowhunters prompts so i was wondering if you could write a jimon marriage proposal possibly"
> 
>  
> 
> now available in [ russian](https://ficbook.net/readfic/5918822) thanks to the lovely [ Angel__Metal__Devil!!](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel__METAL__Devil/pseuds/Angel__METAL__Devil)

“Wanna get married?” Jace calls out, rolling to avoid a shax demon’s pincers. Simon frowns. 

“What?” he calls back, his attention on the circling monstrosity in front of him. No matter how many times he goes out on Shadowhunter missions, he never gets used to fighting demons. Putting down rouge Shadowhunters, sure. He always gets a kick out of  _that_. But demons are still difficult for him to get used to. It doesn’t help that if he goes on missions with his boyfriend he’s expected to hold  _conversations_  while fighting for his life. Jace is delusional. A special kind of death-defying delusional. 

“Do you want to  _marry me_!” Jace yells, louder this time as he narrowly jumps out of the way of an attack and crashes into the wall of the warehouse they’re in. It makes a deafening echo, and the demons begin to leave Simon and swarm to Jace. Simon swears, swallowing convulsively as he considers Jace’s predicament and Jace’s words.  

“You said this would be an easy security check!” Simon grits out, gripping his dagger tighter and clenching his jaw. The world narrows in and out of focus as he slashes the demons, preternaturally swift. “This is  _not_  what most people consider a security check.” 

Jace laughs, a beautiful, throaty sound that always has Simon smiling. He loves Jace, it’s - easier than breathing. Of course, it’s also idiotic beyond belief that he hears this laugh during a demon fight where they’re clearly outnumbered, but. It’s Jace, with his stupid hero complex the size of a goddamn Ferris Wheel. Jace, who would throw himself in front of any blade, for anyone; who eats his cereal dry because he has a strange vendetta against all types of milk; who takes a glorious sort of joy in constantly being a smart-ass; who loves Simon so fiercely, with everything he has. 

“Answer my question.” Jace counters, catching Simon’s eye for a second before thrusting his blade into the space over Simon’s shoulder. Simon doesn’t flinch, but it’s close enough that he glares as the demon explodes into dust behind them. 

“Show-off.” Simon mutters, taking a moment to wipe a drop of blood off of Jace’s cheek with his thumb. “And honestly, is this the place to ask me that?” They both turn again, moving to finish off the last of the demons. Simon can already hear the next wave skittering through the warehouse, their pincers making disgusting clacking noises. 

“Is that a no?” Jace asks, his voice even. Simon eyes the lone demon that’s managed to survive, stepping out of the way as it leaps towards him. He pivots and watches as Jace impales it on his blade, and they stare at each other over the shower of sparks it explodes into. “Only, I thought - “

“I would never say  _no,”_  Simon blurts out, faint terror and disbelief creeping in as Jace regards him, his eyes serious and his gaze intent. “I - Jace, why  _now?_ I can hear another wave coming, we have to  - “ he glances behind him, and hears the clacking getting louder. Jace holds his hand out, palm up, and Simon grabs it as they start running, bursting out into the open and making a beeline for a nearby building, skidding into the alley near it.  

“Because I love you.” Jace pants. “And I - “ He stops, pushing a hand through his hair. Simon watches him, still holding hands and pressed close together. The sound of car horns and the murmur of the city at night surround them, along with the hum of crickets. Jace smells like shax demon blood and his cologne, something that, somewhere in Simon’s life, has become one of the smells of home. 

Change is overwhelming, and terrifying, but Simon is pretty sure he knows, deep down, exactly what his answer to Jace’s question is. 

“Don’t stop now.” Simon says softly, and Jace opens his mouth, his eyes hopeful - 

“Jace!” Alec’s voice echoes, and Jace groans, rolling his eyes. Simon’s mood plummets.  _Fuck_. Backup is here. Which, honestly, is probably a good thing so they can clear out the demons, but - Jace’s face is slipping back into business mode, and Simon feels bereft and hollow. 

“Duty calls.” Jace says lightly, disentangling from Simon and stepping back. He tucks a stray curl behind Simon’s ear, and Simon swallows. “You’re right, I’ll…finish this somewhere else.” 

Simon trails behind Jace as they meet with Alec and Clary, his hands in his pockets as he considers what to do. He’s - pretty sure he knows exactly what he  _wants_  to do, at least. 

Three hours later, freshly showered and dressed in a Izzy and Magnus approved outfit, clutching a box that Raphael helped him get, he peers into Jace’s room. 

“Hey.” Jace says, smiling when he looks up at Simon. He puts his stele aside, a fresh iratze healing on his leg. “Come to fawn over the best Shadowhunter?”

“Already talked to Alec, but thanks.” Simon says cheerfully, and Jace pouts. He jerks his head outside. “Take a walk with me?” 

Jace follows him outside, humming a tune that sounds suspiciously like it’s from Mulan. Simon snorts to himself, because Jace is humming  _Let’s Get Down To Business. “_ China’s lucky to have you save them from the Huns, babe.” 

“You know it.” Jace says, smirking, as he catches Simon’s hand and holds it in his own. Simon rolls his eyes, leading them to the steps of the Institute. “Hey, the stars look pretty tonight.” 

“Not as pretty as - “

“ _Don’t_.” 

“ - you.” 

“ _Lewis_.” Jace says, chastising. “What have we said about cheesy pick-up lines? We do  _not_  embarrass ourselves like this.”

“In that case,” Simon says, a bundle of nerves in his stomach as he slowly sinks to one knee, still holding Jace’s hand, “you’re really not going to like what’s coming next.” 

Jace is silent, his breathing shallow as he stares down at Simon, shock written across his face. Simon waits, a faint smile on his face. 

“Are you - really.” Jace finally says, his voice thick and his eyes suspiciously bright. “Simon.  _Simon_.” 

“I can’t believe you can effortlessly ask me this in the middle of a life-or-death situation, but if I do this in the spot we first kissed, you suddenly can’t believe it.” Simon laughs, and Jace bites his lip, his eyes crinkling as he grins. 

“Simon.” Jace repeats helplessly, and Simon takes a deep, unnecessary breath. 

“To answer your question,” he says first. “Yes. I will.” 

Jace laughs then, a giddy noise, as he squeezes Simon’s hands tight enough to hurt. “The ring is in my room, I can’t - “

“I’m not done, Jesus.” Simon says, and they’re both grinning at each other like love struck fools. “I wanted to say, your proposal was  _perfect_. I should have said yes right there, but I didn’t get a chance to. So. I have a question for you, as well. Will  _you_  marry  _me_?” 

“Yes.” Jace says, before yanking Simon up and kissing him, hard. Simon lets out a low groan before he presses back, giving as good as he gets. He tries to put everything he wants to say into the kiss, that Jace  _means_  everything to him, and he tries to kiss his - his  _fiance_  even harder, dipping Jace back a little as he leans forward. Jace makes an appreciative noise, and - 

“Stop making out on the front steps!”

“Did he say yes?”

“Don’t forget to give him the  _ring_  - “

“Did Jace leave the ring inside? I don’t see one on Simon’s hand - “

“How can you see that - “

“Rune, honestly, Clary, you  _have_ to start making better use of your runes - “

Jace and Simon break apart to look at the front door, where all their friends are peering out. They’ve evidently been there the whole time - even Raphael is leaning against the entrance, looking vaguely interested. Alec is smirking as Magnus hands him money. 

“Of course.” Jace hollers. “Why should my  _proposal_  get any privacy - “

“It’s not yours, it’s Simon’s.” Alec says, unrepentant.  

“You interrupted mine too, back at the warehouse.” Jace says hotly, and Alec rolls his eyes. They’re all laughing though, and Simon tugs Jace’s grinning face back towards him and kisses him sweetly, cheers echoing around them. 

“Love you.” Jace murmurs, and it’s the easiest thing in the world to murmur back  _love you too_ ,  _forever and always._


	2. when it comes to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompt:
> 
> "jimon + jace doting over his bf and panicking when simons sick with the smallest cold ever"

Jace knows something’s up as soon as he walks into the Institute. Alec is leaning against a table, waiting for him, trying incredibly hard to look casual, which he could probably achieve if he didn’t look like he’d just swallowed a lemon. 

“What’s wrong.” Jace demands as soon as he draws close. 

“Hey, Jace.” Alec responds neutrally. “How was your mission?” 

“Fine.” Jace says shortly. “Now tell me what’s wrong.” 

“Nothing’s wrong, why would anything be wrong, things are going fine?” Alec says rapidly, his tone getting higher towards the end. Jace blinks. 

“It’s like you think if you speak fast enough, I just won’t hear any of it.” 

“That’s not true.” Alec protests. “Look, it’s no big deal, you wanna spar? Go a few rounds with staffs, and then switch to blades?” Jace squints at him; the request  _seems_  natural enough, and he’s not averse to hanging out with Alec a little. Maybe Alec was talking to Magnus before Jace walked in; the man usually leaves Alec out of it. It’s  _adorable_.

“Sure.” Jace says, finally relaxing. “Let me go drop my stuff off in my room and change into something more comfortable. Simon’s still asleep in my room, I think; I’ll wake him up and then join you, so - “

“NO.” 

Jace pauses from where he’s halfway turned towards a corridor, pivoting back slowly to stare at Alec, who’s looking panicked now. 

“I mean, come on Jace, I haven’t seen you in so long - “

“You mean in two hours - “

“ - why don’t we hang out  _right now_ , in  _another room_  - “

“Mm-hm.” Jace says, frowning, turning his back on Alec and making his way to his room. “You’re hiding something from me.” He yells over his shoulder, and he hears Alec’s exasperated sigh fade away. So there’s something in his room they don’t want him to see, and he’s pretty sure the only thing in his room is Simon. Did Simon break something? It wouldn’t be the first time, Jace thinks, amused. Supernatural speed translates into supernatural clumsiness as well, which is cute and all but sort of deadly for all of Jace’s breakable possessions. 

“Jace!” Izzy says, appearing in front of him. Jace startles back, blinking, before he straightens up and looks at her. “Hey, why don’t you come to my room for a bit? I need some advice.” 

“Advice” He repeats flatly. “With what?” 

“…fashion.” Izzy says confidently. “You are the resident expert in leather jackets, aren’t you?”

“Sure.” Jace responds pleasantly. “I’ll just go to my room and change first - “

“No, why don’t we go straight to my room - “

“Yeah, not happening.” Jace shakes his head, smiling despite himself. “Alec already pulled this song and dance. Come on, whatever it is, I’m sure it isn’t that bad. Let me go to my room.” 

Izzy sighs, stepping aside and shaking her head. “Just try not to overreact, okay? It’s really not a big deal. It’s under control.” 

“I don’t overreact that much.” Jace says, indignant, as he reaches his room. “I’m sure you’re all misreading the situation. And me.” 

He pushes the door open and walks through, freezing at the sight that greets him. Simon is curled into a ball in his sheets, his face blotchy and red. His boyfriend looks feverishly sick, sweat mingling with the bloody tears leaking out of his eyes. Clary is sitting in a chair besides him, pressing a damp washcloth to his forehead, and Simon is making these pitiful little groans that stop as soon as he sees Jace. 

“I  _told_ you to keep him away!” Simon moans, at the same time that Jace bellows “ _MY BOYFRIEND IS DYING?”_

_“_ Oh yeah,” Izzy mutters quietly, “we sure did misread this situation. You’re not overreacting at all.” 

Jace ignores her and stalks over to the bed, falling to his knees and pressing his hands against Simon’s cheeks. Simon sighs. 

“I’ll be fine in like twenty minutes.” He mutters. 

“He really will be.” Clary chimes in. “It was just a batch of tainted blood, his body’s already healing itself.” 

“You look miserable. You can’t  _keep_ something like this from me, you -  _fuck_ , you’re burning up. What can I get you? Magnus, we should call Magnus. He’ll know what to do. Maybe Catarina? She can help, right? And Raphael and the rest of the clan. They probably have a few ideas too. And - “

“Stop.” Simon wails. “I don’t need a goddamn army for a tiny cold that will be gone in _eighteen_  minutes now.”

“Twenty minutes.” Clary says, exasperated. “That’s all they needed to delay you for.” Jace ignores her, his gaze roaming over the rest of Simon’s body. He’s under a huge pile of blankets, his hair in disarray and the faint imprint of pillow marks across half of his forehead. The feverish sweat  _is_  reducing, but Jace thumbs over a bloody tear leaking out of Simon’s eye and bites his lip. What if he  _doesn’t_  get better, what if it gets worse, what if something unimaginable and horrifying happens to Simon and he never gets to see that pretty smile again, what if he doesn’t get to grow old with this man - 

“Breathe, Jace.” Simon says calmly, his hand reaching up to cover Jace’s, and Jace startles out of his thought, taking a deep breath. Simon looks carefully at him, and then struggles into an upright position. 

“Can you guys give Jace and me a moment?” Simon asks, and Jace is distantly aware of Clary and Izzy filing out. 

“I’m not good at this.” Jace mutters once the girls have left, finally letting his hands drop to Simon’s waist. Simon laughs. 

“Yeah, no shit.” He grins. “I think you forget that I’m basically immortal.” 

“That doesn’t make you immune to getting hurt.” Jace argues mulishly. Simon shakes his head, another snicker escaping him, and tugs at Jace’s shoulders. 

“C’mere.” He murmurs, something softer in his voice, and Jace goes willingly, rising up and letting Simon rearrange them until Jace is sitting in between Simon’s legs, Simon’s back against the headrest. They’re pressed close together, and it soothes something in Jace to have his knees pressed against either side of Simon and broad hands wrapped around his back, anchoring him. 

“I’m okay. I’m not going anywhere.” Simon says, and Jace closes his eyes and clutches Simon closer, his fingers digging hard into Simon’s hips. 

“You sure?” he asks, his voice low and worried. “I can bring you extra blood, or take you to someone if you don’t heal fast enough - “

“ _Jace_.” Simon says firmly. “I’ve stopped sweating and my head is clearing up. I’m a vampire, and you have to let me  _be one_.” 

“Alright.” Jace exhales slowly, nodding, and Simon beams at him. “I might - a little - I mean, I know that maybe I…can come on a little too strongly about this.” His boyfriend snorts at that. 

“A  _little.”_ Simon snickers. “The first time I got sick you were about to go out with a hunting party to track down the poor  _blood bank_  that I got my blood from. A hunting party. For a  _blood bank_.”

“I stand by it.” Jace says proudly, ignoring Simon’s laughter. 

“Of course you do.” Simon shakes his head, fond. He presses a slow, gentle kiss to Jace’s lips. The soft push-pull of their mouths eases some of the tension in Jace’s shoulders, and he feels it begin to be replaced with the radiating warmth that being around Simon always brings, and with it a slow, lazy tendril of lust. “You’re a little neurotic about my health. It’s cute, in a I can’t believe my boyfriend is weirder than me way.”

“I’m not.” Jace grumbles. “I’m sensible.” 

“Sure babe.” Simon placates. “ _Sure_.”


	3. the beat of a nervous drum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted: 
> 
> "Idk if you've already written this but can you write a fluffy jimon first date fic?"

Jace is just about ready to call the whole thing off. 

“Gotta arrange these better.” Clary fusses, fluffing the baby’s breath in the bouquet of flowers he’s holding. “This color gradient’s all off.” 

“I paid a hell of a lot of money for dead plants.” Jace grumbles. “I think the color gradient’s  _fine_.” 

“You’re not the one with the art degree.” Izzy warns, coming forward and yanking his arm towards her. 

“Clary doesn’t have one either.” Jace protests, confused as Izzy yanks out her stele and beings to trace something across his forearm. “Is that -  _stamina_?” 

“Better to be safe than sorry.” his sister says calmly, and Jace groans. 

“I’m not going to have sex with him on the first date.” He says, a little too loudly. Lindsey pauses from where she’s on one of the monitors and gives him a strange look, and Raj is doubled over a rack of blades, wheezing with laughter. 

“ _So_  great to know.” Alex says sardonically, smirking as he saunters over. He waves his phone at Jace. “I was just getting on Magnus’ case because he, Raphael, and Luke are making a big deal out of  _Simon_ getting ready, but apparently I don’t have a leg to stand on. You’re all just as bad.” 

“Look who’s talking.” Izzy says, laughing as Alec casually straightens a wrinkle in Jace’s button-down and adjusts his collar.

“Are we all done?” Jace asks crossly. “Can I go on my  _private_  date now?” 

“Oh, it’s so sweet when children grow up.” Clary sighs, pretending to wipe away a tear as she steps back. Jace groans, louder. 

“Fray, are you giving my boyfriend a hard time?” a voice calls, and Jace turns, relieved, to see Simon. He pauses for a moment, stunned, as Simon walks up to him with a grin on his face. 

Simon looks  _so_  good, the top few buttons of his soft purple henley unbuttoned. He’s got a dark black jacket on that Jace  _swears_  he’s seen on Magnus before, and his hair looks windswept. Jace wants to put his hands all over Simon and wreck him, wear out the stamina rune that Izzy’s so helpfully provided. At the same time, he also wants to hold Simon’s hand and take him on a picnic or something equally awful and sweet. It’s horrible, but Jace can’t find it in him to do anything but smile like an idiot and hand Simon the flowers, leaning in to brush a kiss against his cheek. 

“Hey.” Jace says lowly, and Simon’s eyes are bright as he regards Jace and hands over his own bouquet, which Jace takes and smiles stupidly at. 

“I see we both went for a traditional approach.” Simon comments, and they both consider the two bouquets. “Thought I’m not sure what to do with these now. I did  _not_ think this far ahead.” 

“Classic Lewis.” Jace sighs, then jerks his head to Izzy. “I don’t have these nerds here for nothing.” 

“No glove, no love, and make sure to use the stamina rune.” Izzy says sweetly in retaliation as she and Alec tug the bouquets out of their hands. “We’ll put these in water; go enjoy yourselves.” Simon flushes at the comment about the stamina rune, and Jace rolls his eyes. 

“I don’t kiss and tell.” He hollers at his siblings before he holds a hand out to Simon. “Shall we?” 

Simon laces their fingers together, rubbing his thumb briefly across Jace’s knuckles. “Where are we going?” 

“Wouldn’t  _you_ like to know?” 

“Jace, I’m  _driving_. I have to know.” Simon says patiently. 

“I’ll get my license soon.” Jace grumbles, and Simon laughs. “We’re going to Central Park.” 

“It’s nearly midnight.” 

“So?” Jace looks at him, using his free hand to push his hair out of his face. “Perfect for stargazing.” 

“Oh my god, this is  _New York_. Have you ever heard of something called  _light pollution_?” 

“You are so determined to make this not romantic.” Jace teases gently, nudging Simon and grinning. Simon cuts him a flat look, and Jace laughs. “I checked with Meliorn, and he set up a place with his magic to let us see the stars.” 

“Wait,  _seriously_?” Simon asks, stopping on the sidewalk in front of his garish van. Jace eyes the van warily. 

“I can’t believe I’m constantly riding in this monstrosity.” He says, shaking his head. “But yeah.” 

“Respect the wheels.” Simon says absently, still staring at Jace. “How did you get  _Meliorn_  to help you?” 

Jace shrugs, shifting uncomfortable. “Meliorn has a soft spot for romance.” Simon continues to stare at him, and Jace sighs, relenting. “He thinks its hilarious that  _another_  Shadowhunter is dating a Downworlder, and he’s encouraging it because, and I quote, he ‘cannot wait to see the Clave’s constipated expressions when they learn of their precious half-angel with a vampire’.”

Simon laughs at that, throwing his head back and leaning against the van. Jace half-smiles, more occupied with the way the moonlight traces a silver glow across Simon’s cheeks and neck. 

“Wait, that’s so great.” Simon says, still chuckling. “It’s Meliorn’s version of a fuck you, that’s so cute - are you listening? You’re staring at me weird.” He says, pausing as Jace licks his lips. Jace can’t take his eyes off of the way the light is falling perfectly across Simon, illuminating his figure and turning him into something angelic. He takes a step closer, swaying forward into Simon’s space. 

“You’re impossible.” Simon says fondly before he lifts his free hand to cradle Jace’s cheek and bridges the distance between them, pressing his lips to Jace’s. It’s not their first kiss, but it feels just as wonderful, just as new and bright, warmth exploding like fireworks behind Jace’s closed eyes. 

He presses closer, letting go of Simon’s hand, and instead winds his arms around Simon’s waist, pulling their bodies flush together. Simon makes a low, delighted noise, and traces his tongue across the seam of Jace’s lips; Jace obediently parts his mouth and lets Simon twine their tongues together, his breathing ragged. He feels like he’s floating, riding a soft high that consists entirely of Simon’s body tangled with his, Simon’s skin faintly cool beneath his hands, the noises that Simon makes echoing like a symphony around them. 

He finally breaks the kiss when breathing becomes a problem, sucking in deep lungfuls of air as Simon watches him with half-lidded eyes, his lips faintly shining with spit. 

“That stamina rune might actually come in handy.” Simon says, his voice rough, and Jace laughs, burying his face in Simon’s shoulder and relishing in the feeling for just a moment. 

“I want to do this right.” Jace says, finally drawing back and pressing a tiny kiss to Simon’s forehead. “I’m gonna woo the fuck out of you, Lewis.” 

“You sap.” Simon says, but he’s laughing too as he drags Jace around to the passenger side and opens the door. “Ready for our date, then?” 

“Yeah.” Jace says, bringing Simon’s hand to his lips and brushing a kiss across his knuckles. Simon blushes violently, covering his face with his free hand. Jace grins, slow and predatory, and Simon’s eyes widen. “ _Yeah_.” 

(It’s a really cute date, up until the bushes rustle and they whirl around, weapons drawn, to find a sheepish wolf regarding them, accompanied by Izzy and Clary.

“It’s 2017 and privacy is apparently a myth!” Simon hollers, chasing a laughing Luke down as Jace groans and quietly bemoans the fact that they’re all  _way_ too co-dependent.)


	4. liquid courage, light the way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted:
> 
> "I'd LOVE if you could write a drunk Simon confessing his feelings to Jace when he drives him home! Especially if it's super fluffy!"

“So this is what you do when I don’t go out with you?” Jace asks, huffing warm air over his fingers. It’s  _freezing_ , and he forgot his gloves, because he rushed over here to pick up one  _Simon Lewis_  from trying to get back to the apartment they share while drunk as hell. 

“Don’t get  _mad_  at me, I made good choices, did good things!” Simon says, pouting prettily as he tilts his head back and looks up at Jace. He’s slumped against Maia and Clary, who are quietly giggling to themselves. 

“He  _did - ‘_ good things’ is the cute blonde back in there!” Maia sniggers, and Jace feels his heart break a little more. He scowls, trying to get over the tiny pang in his chest. He’s long since accepted that Simon doesn’t feel the same way as he does, but it still fucking  _sucks_ because the guy he likes is the guy he lives with, and the guy who’s made it his mission to insert himself into every part of Jace’s life. 

“I didn’t  _do_ him.” Simon insists. “I was gonna, but he’s verrrrrrrrrrrry.”

“Very what?” Clary asks, leaning forward. Jace sighs and pushes her back as she begins to topple off the bench. 

“Very.” Simon agrees, and Jace raises an eyebrow. He’s about to press for more information, when Magnus appears. 

“Oh,  _finally_.” He groans. “Take Simon home, I’ll deal with the girls.” 

“What did you guys drink?” Jace asks, exasperated as Maia nearly punches him in the face in her haste to cling to Clary. 

“We had a competition, and I severely underestimated their tolerance.” Magnus sighs, massaging his temples. “Come along, darlings.” Maia and Clary stumble off with Magnus, and Jace tugs Simon upright. 

“You good, man?” He asks quietly. Simon hums quietly and leans into Jace’s side. 

“Not gonna be sick or anything.” He confirms, and Jace laughs softly, slinging an arm around Simon’s shoulder and steering him to the car. 

“I’ve drunk enough with you to know what you’re like.” Jace muses. “And I am  _so_  glad you’re not the kind to throw up. I would not let you within ten feet of my car if you were.” 

“What kind of drunk  _am_  I?” Simon asks brightly, then promptly slips on the sidewalk and crumples, holding on to Jace’s arms for dear life. Jace sighs and hauls him back up, and suddenly Simon is  _very_  close, close enough to count each eyelash fluttering over warm brown eyes. 

“Clumsy.” Jace says hoarsely, transfixed by the hazy desire clouding Simon’s eyes, before he remembers that Simon is fucking  _drunk_ , and he sighs and steps away. “Come on, Lewis.” 

He manages to get Simon into the car with minimal fuss. Simon  _does_  try to convince Jace that North Dakota doesn’t exist, but it’s not even the biggest conspiracy theory Simon’s brought up, so Jace isn’t worried as he starts up the car and peers behind him, backing slowly out of the parking space. 

“Oh my god you’re  _driving.”_ Simon says suddenly. Jace snorts as he waits patiently for a gaggle of teens to cross the street. “Since when do you drive?” 

“Since a month ago, you  _went_ with me to get my license.” Jace mutters. “You’re such a dumbass when you’re drunk.” 

“Let me out, Jace is gonna kill me with his driving!” Simon moans, sinking low into his seat. 

“Rude.”

“I’m gonna  _dieeeeee_.” Simon warbles, and then pauses. “Do you have any water? Or can we stop by the ocean to get a drink?” 

“Yeah, I don’t think the Atantic is what you need right now.” Jace says, reaching behind with one hand and grabbing the water he’d thrown in the back seat when he’d heard Simon was drunk. 

“ _Lifesaver_.” Simon says gratefully as he takes the bottle and twists the cap off, guzzling it down. He only gets one tiny dribble of water down his chin, and Jace glances over as the car idles at a red light on an empty street. 

“You’ve got a - “ He gestures, and Simon frowns. 

“A printer?” He asks, excited. Jace shakes his head, bemused. 

“Why the  _fuck_  would there be a printer?” He asks, glancing once to check that it’s still a red light before he reaches over and swipes his thumb over the drop of water, Simon’s stubble rough under his skin. “There.” 

The light changes to green and he drops his hand back to the wheel, focusing on driving - Simon’s partially right, Jace isn’t the  _best_ driver - and there’s silence in the car until he looks back to Simon, worried about the lack of unstoppable rambling. 

Simon is looking at him with a strange, unreadable look on his face, his eyes dark and stormy. Jace frowns and opens his mouth, about to ask what’s wrong, when Simon blurts out, “Do you know Jace Wayland?” 

“Oh my God.” Jace says, shaking his head. “Not this again.” Simon has a habit of conflating Jace and Captain America while he’s drunk, which is cute, but  _so_  not helpful. 

“If you see him,” Simon continues, his voice turning a little sad, “can you tell him to kiss me?” 

“What?” Jace asks, not at all proud of the way his voice goes an octave higher. 

“I mean, you’re Captain America. He has to listen to you, right?” Simon asks as Jace tries desperately to focus on pulling into their building’s garage. 

“Buddy,” Jace gets out in a strangled voice, “I think Jace Wayland doesn’t need me to tell him to kiss you.” 

“Did he say something? Does he not want to?” Simon asks, insistently patting Jace’s arm. 

“No.” Jace says shortly, killing the engine and opening the door. 

“Then you should command him. Jace would listen to you, you have muscles!” 

“Oh my  _God_.” Jace groans as he gets Simon out of the car. He staggers a little as Simon leans in with all his weight. “Why is drunk you so horny?” 

“I’m not  _horny_ , I  _love_ him!” Simon declares. Jace promptly drops Simon. “Ow.” Simon complains from the floor. 

“Lewis. Always complicating things.” Jace says, his heart beating faster and a smile creeping onto his face despite himself. 

“I’m serious, he’s adorable and he cares so  _much_  and he’s so good to the world.” Simon says as Jace hauls him off the ground. “Please get him to kiss me.” Jace’s heart clenches and he smiles giddily at Simon. 

“Wake up sober, and I will.” He promises, and Simon nods sleepily, nuzzling into Jace’s neck. 

(The next morning, Jace waits as long as it takes for Simon to stumble into the kitchen and blearily make himself a cup of coffee before he backs the other man into the counter, gets a hand in his shirt, and kisses him as thoroughly as he can. Simon whimpers, his hands flailing for a bit and hitting Jace’s head before settling around Jace’s back, and then he gets with the program, pressing back and sliding his tongue across Jace’s. 

“Got a message from Captain America.” Jace murmurs when they break apart to breathe, his voice low and amused as he watches the bright red flush overtake Simon’s cheeks. 

“Oh  _God.”_ Simon groans. “Of all the idiotic things I’ve done - “

“I love you too.” 

“ - that was probably not the worst.” Simon concludes, his smile turning blindingly bright. Jace laughs warmly at that and reels Simon in for another kiss, unable to help himself. The guy he’s in love with is nerdy as fuck, but it’s the sweetest thing in the world, and Jace will send the creator of Captain America a  _fruit basket_  if it makes Simon happy.)


	5. closer still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted:
> 
> "if you're still taking jimon prompts could you please write jace having the most blatant, transparent, obvious crush on simon and simon ONLY just realising when jace leans in to kiss him but chickens out because he doesn't want to freak out simon i know it's oddly specific but i have been thinking about this for 500 years"

“You’re staring.” Simon complains. Jace shrugs his shoulders, leaning against the wall opposite to Simon in the tiny alley they’re stuck in until backup arrives. 

“You’ve got - “ Jace says, and then stops and moves forward, forehead furrowed in concentration as he lightly cards his fingers through Simon’s hair. Simon holds very,  _very_  still and tries to ignore the heat coming off of Jace’s body; he fails  _spectacularly._

Fucking Jace and his flirtatious tendencies. It gives a person misplaced  _hope_. 

“Leaf.” Jace explains quietly as he takes his hand away. He doesn’t move away though, still standing close to Simon, staring down with his absurdly pretty lashes. 

“Great, now the trees hate me too.” Simon complains, his voice pitched low and quiet. Jace chuckles at that. 

“It’s hard being you, isn’t it, Simon.” He murmurs, and then - Simon almost thinks he’s imagining it, but Jace’ gaze has dropped lower, his eyes transfixed by Simon’s mouth. Simon instinctively darts his tongue out to wet his bottom lip, and Jace’s eyes darken. 

Oh  _God_. Fucking hell, Simon definitely did not expect this. This is - so far beyond the realm of possibility. What is  _happening_. 

Jace is leaning closer, and Simon is getting lightheaded, hardly daring to move as soft breath whispers across his face, Jace’s lips parting, his head tilting slightly, barely any space separating them - 

Jace jerks back so suddenly that for a moment Simon thinks someone’s flat out attacking them. He springs back to, wildly swinging his head around and checking their surroundings before the reality crashes into him, staring him in the face in the form of Jace gasping for breath against the other wall, looking at Simon with horror on his face. 

“Right.” Simon says out loud, laughing bitterly. Jace flinches, a hand coming up to scrub at his face, and Simon tilts his head back against the alley wall and laughs mirthlessly. “Of course.” 

“This can’t happen.” Jace says, his voice horrified, and Simon’s suddenly, furiously angry. 

“I didn’t do anything.” He snaps, hurt and stung by Jace’s rejection. 

“I can’t - won’t - do this.” Jace says like he didn’t even hear, staring at Simon. He looks so  _terrified_ , and Simon is possessed with the insane urge to both comfort him and punch him. 

“I don’t really give a fuck.  _You_  leaned in,  _you_  looked like you were going to - “

“I’m  _sorry_ ,” Jace says miserably, “I never meant to fuck our friendship up like this. You deserve so much better - “

A wild, ridiculous thought pops into Simon’s head at those words, because Jace’s sentence doesn’t make complete sense and Simon has a bizarre idea that’s taken hold in his mind. 

“Jace,” He says slowly, because  _what the hell_ , he’s committed to this now, “do you  _like_  me?” 

“Sorry.” Jace repeats immediately, and Simon has to stare at him like he’s grown another head because.  _What_. This doesn’t happen. This only happens in stupid Valentine’s Day rom-coms. This isn’t Simon Lewis’ life. 

“Don’t be.” Simon says slowly, and they’re both staring at each other now with equal parts apprehension and slowly dawning comprehension. “I want - the same things you want. Apparently.” 

“That’s - are you sure?” Jace asks, frowning. Simon steps forward, transfixed.

“Not at all.” He murmurs, before he summons what little courage he has and curls a hand around Jace’s neck, tugging him forward and pressing their mouths together. Jace makes a low, wounded noise, his lips pressing back softly, hesitantly, a question that Simon answers by pushing forward into the kiss, sliding his tongue across Jace’s and trying to pour a depth of emotion he isn’t sure he can express yet into it. 

Jace breathes shallowly through his nose, his hands slowly coming up to grasp at Simon’s waist and dig in, his fingers pressing sharply against Simon’s ribs. He holds Simon close, the grasp of someone who’s a little - a  _lot_  - afraid. Simon can relate. He pulls back slowly, his eyes lingering across Jace’s pink, spit-slicked lips, his free hand coming up to smooth over Jace’s cheek, stubble rasping under his palm. 

“I had no idea.” Simon says, amazed. Jace snorts, his arrogance slowly rearing it’s head again. 

“You might have been the only one that didn’t.” He retorts. “Blind much?” 

“Not even close! Vampire!” Simon says indignantly. 

“That’s even more embarrassing, then. Super senses, and all that.” Jace teases gently. He’s still holding tight to Simon, his fingers beginning to hurt where they’re exerting pressure. 

“I’m a vampire, not a mind-reader.” Simon grouses. “Loosen your hold on me, I’m still breakable and I’m not going anywhere. I’m  _yours_.” Jace looks inordinately pleased at that, his smile growing so bright it sets off an ache somewhere deep in Simon’s chest. 

“Don’t do that!” Simon grumbles. “I’m getting all sorts of feelings. Just shut up and kiss me.” 

And Jace gladly obeys. 


	6. the fine line between

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted: 
> 
> "Would you do 1 or 45 for either clizzy or jimon?"
> 
> 45\. pretending to hate each other au + jimon (warning: a little nsfw towards the end)

“No, are you fucking kidding me?” Simon exclaims. “Just because I’d rather watch Finn kick ass with Rey and Poe instead of fully grown men wearing inflated bell sleeve jerseys and fight over a pigskin bladder - “

“ _Football_.” Jace hisses. “A game filled with fucking  _strategy,_ which you’d know nothing about,  _Lewis_  - “

“That’s rich, coming from you, Mr. Doing Endless Bleacher Runs Without Showering and then coming to our Econ section and sitting in front of  _me_  like that, real good strategy - “

“That was  _once_ , you’re insufferable, my God - “

The two of them continue, their voices rising louder and louder. Clary and Izzy lean against the half-counter separating the kitchen and the living room of Magnus’ apartment, watching the argument with growing trepidation as the little party continues on behind them. 

“Are they always like this?” Magnus asks, frowning as he comes over. Jace and Simon seem completely unaware of the rest of them watching, pushing and shoving at each other as they get in each other’s faces, glaring so fiercely Clary’s afraid their faces will get stuck in the expression. 

“I’ve never seen Si this angry at someone before. Well, to their face.” She amends, sipping her drink. 

“Should we…step in?” Izzy asks, curling her arm around Clary’s waist and tilting her head thoughtfully. Magnus hums, slowly moving around the argument to grab something from his cabinet, making his way back to Izzy and Clary. 

“They seem fine.” He hedges, just as Jace pushes Simon hard enough that Simon’s back hits the fridge, rattling the magnets on the fridge door. Magnus raises an eyebrow in the ensuing silence -  _Alec_  got him most of those magnets - and they all watch warily as Simon’s eyes darken inscrutably. 

“I’m done here.” Simon grits out. “Magnus, thank you for hosting. I’ll text you guys.” He says, and then takes two steps and flees before Clary can say anything. She frowns, whirling on Jace, but he’s staring after Simon, his face similarly angry and his eyes dark. 

“I’m leaving too.” Jace decides, echoing Simon’s thank you to Magnus before he leaves too. 

“Where is he going? Don’t they  _live_  together?” Alec asks, materializing out of nowhere with Chairman Meow cradled in his arms, frowning. 

“I think we’d better check on them.” Magnus admits, and Clary and Izzy nod. “Ragnor, be a dear and watch the apartment for me while we make sure the boys didn’t kill each other.” 

.

Jace’s shirt flies across the room as Simon furiously kisses him, his lips urgent and demanding as he shoves Jace up onto his writing desk. 

“You took so  _long_  to come after me.” Simon whines as he scratches his nails down Jace’s back and bites at Jace’s ears just  _so_. Jace moans on cue under him, his hips jerking upward as he clings to Simon for dear life. 

“ _I_  wasn’t the one that stretched the argument on forever. Me, sweaty in class? That was the best -  _fuck_ ,  _Simon - “_ He gasps out as Simon works on a hickey right under Jace’s ear, swiping his tongue over the angry red mark on his skin. “I can’t hide that!” 

“Sorry.” Simon says, unrepentant,  breathing the words out against Jace’s ear before he drops to his knees and nuzzles at Jace’s thigh. “How fast can we make this?” 

“ _Fast_? Fuck you, I’m not  _fast_.” Jace scowls, even as Simon laughs and presses open-mouthed kisses along the planes of Jace’s stomach, his fingers fumbling over Jace’s buckle. “Here, butterfingers.” 

“Rude, don’t say that to someone who’s about to suck your dick.” Simon chastises, tightening his hold on Jace’s waist and shifting up on his heels slightly to drag his tongue against one hardened nipple. Jace hums in encouragement, his hands shifting to anchor in Simon’s hair as Simon spends a moment kissing around Jace’s nipple, drawing varying degrees of moans out of him, before he pulls back and helps Jace shimmy his jeans off his hips. 

Jace tosses the jeans into a corner of their room and sits back, his eyes hungry and full of adoration as he stares at Simon, his lips lifted in a half smile. There’s a moment of stillness then, their lust abated as they just stare at each other, Simon’s fingers dipping below the waistband of Jace’s boxer-briefs and his mouth hovering so  _close_  to where Jace wants him, his eyes half-lidded and excited as he looks back at Jace, his grin wide and fond. 

“Alright?” Jace asks softly, and Simon hums his affirmation, leaning in to breathe lightly over the outline of Jace’s cock - 

A loud knock echoes through the room suddenly, the sound discordant enough to jar them both.  _Simon_ , in particular, displaying his particular brand of clumsiness, jerks forward, accidentally burying his face in Jace’s crotch, and Jace moans helplessly, slapping a hand over his mouth. 

“Are you guys actually  _fighting_?” Izzy’s voice comes through the door, worried. “We’re coming in.”

“I’m gonna use my spare key.” Alec says, and Simon and Jace stare at each other in horror before Jace shoves Simon away and catapults into his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin while Simon, still fully clothed, whirls around and pretends to be leaning  _super_  casually against his desk. 

Alec, Magnus, Izzy, and Clary all burst in, looking around like they expect Jace and Simon to be lying in a pool of blood. Simon regards them and lifts a hand in acknowledgement. 

“Heyyyyyy, guys.” He says as innocently as possible, smiling. Clary stares at him. 

“You’re not fighting.” She says, then pauses. “You’re not fighting?” 

“Nope.” Simon laughs nervously. “We’re just not talking to each other, you know how it is, we’re so angry - “ From the corner of his eyes he sees Jace shift guiltily in bed, the sheets slipping to reveal just his collarbone, and Simon is hit with a sudden wave of desire as he remembers that Jace is almost naked under there, hard and wanting,  _waiting_  for Simon to get his hands on him and  _wreck_ him - 

“Why did Jace shout?” Alec asks suspiciously, crossing his arms. Simon shrugs. 

“Bad dream.” He says, just as Jace blithely says “Stubbed my toe.” They stare at each other and sigh as Alec pauses, confused. 

“What?” Izzy asks. “That doesn’t make sense.” 

“Oh my  _God.”_ Magnus says suddenly. “Oh my -  _seriously_? Can’t you two do anything normally?” He stares at the two of them, and Simon flushes, sneaking another glance at Jace, unable to help himself. 

“What is going on right now.” Clary says slowly as Magnus gestures helplessly between the two of them. 

“There’s the shirt.” Magnus says, pointing at Jace’s discarded shirt on the floor. “His pants are in that corner - like someone  _threw_  them - and Jace has a hickey he definitely didn’t have when he stormed out of my party. Three guesses to who gave it to him. Hint - his name starts with ‘S’ and ends with ‘imon’.” 

“Oh God.” Alec says, looking nauseous as he looks at Jace. Simon flushes, because yeah, the hickey high up on Jace’s neck is fresh and bright, and  _maybe_  he wasn’t thinking clearly when he marked his secret boyfriend up. “Oh  _God_.” 

“ _Why_ pretend to hate each other. Ohhh, my eyes.” Clary groans, slapping a hand over Izzy’s eyes. “Look away babe, this is disgusting.”

“I don’t know.” Jace says softly, not looking at anyone but Simon. Simon swallows, swamped with sudden affection at the look in Jace’s eyes. “It was kind of fun. We just…wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little longer.” 

“If you want to sleep together, sleep together, no one is stopping you.” Izzy smirks, removing Clary’s hand. Jace shakes his head. 

“It’s not just that. We’re dating. I…really like him. More than I thought was - I’m in love with him.” Jace says, his voice still quiet, and there’s silence all around as everyone looks at them. Clary and Izzy are beaming now, Magnus is shaking his head and smiling, and Alec still looks vaguely unimpressed, if mildly less annoyed, which counts as  _ecstatic_  for him. “Babe,” Jace adds, “you gotta come over here. I can’t remove this sheet, and I really wanna kiss you right now - “

“ _WAY_ more information than I wanted!” Alec bellows, all but pushing Magnus out of the room. “Great, good, we’ve got a party to get back to.” 

“Behave yourselves.” Magnus chirps happily as he leaves, and Clary and Izzy leave too, smirking at them. The door closes, and Simon finally crawls into bed with Jace. 

“You’re a menace.” He says softly, fondly, pressing his forehead to Jace’s. “I hate you so much.” He kisses Jace then, slowly, trying to make it  _mean_  something. 

“Hate you too.” Jace says happily, smiling as he pulls away, his hair falling in his face as he thumbs over Simon’s bottom lip. “You’re the worst.” 

“Right back at ya.” 

.

(Their wedding vows, five years later, consist of them lobbing increasingly creative insults at each other until Alec and Magnus threaten to sic doves on them if they don’t quit it and admit they love each other. They behave after that, but the silver bands on their fingers have ‘ _you’re the worst. my worst.’_  engraved on them.)


	7. delicate and oh so new

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ doraingrey ](http://doraingray.tumblr.com/) prompted: 
> 
> "could you maybe write jimon in the early stages of their relationship and they just held hands for the first time and it's really cute and soft?? i love your writing thank you so much!! ✨"

“Slow  _down_.” Alec huffs at Jace as they both stride up the sidewalk to the Institute. “Last time I checked, nothing’s on fire. You can walk slower.” 

“You’re the one with the freakishly long legs.” Jace snipes back. “You can keep up.” 

“I hunt demons all day, and then I get sassed by my own brother as thanks.” Alec mutters snidely under his breath as they climb up the stairs. “I don’t deserve this.”

“Sure.” Jace says distractedly, not even paying attention. Butterflies have taken up residence in his stomach, a familiar giddy feeling creeping up on him. He bites his lip as they walk through the front doors, scanning the room for a familiar head of brown curls. 

“Oh  _I_ get it.” Alec says, laughing a little. Jace looks at him, and Alec smirks. “It’s the thrill of young love. You’re  _nervous_. Aw.” 

Jace scowls at Alec and chooses not to answer; Alec can probably tell anyway through their bond that he’s jittery with anticipation. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair as they stop by a weapons rack, stripping their gear off methodically. 

He and Simon have only really been official for maybe half a day - six hours at the most. He’s liked Simon for so long, but it’s been a long, difficult battle; he had Valentine to get over, and Simon had to find his place as a Daylighter. It’s hard to know what exactly is normal as a Shadowhunter, and feelings like this are never something he’s been allowed to have. It took him _months_ to work up the courage to ask Simon out, and even then he’d nearly  _shouted_ the question at poor Lewis, who’d agreed immediately and then looked panicked. And Jace had been called away on a mission before they could really talk about it. 

It’s not that he doubts what they have; it’s just that it’s new, and fragile, and so very delicate in their hands. They’re both a little afraid of commitment. It’s a work in progress. 

“Don’t overthink it.” Alec says softly, breaking him out of his thoughts, and Jace looks at him as they push the weapons rack back into the wall. Alec gives him a small smile. “It’ll be alright, Jace.”

“Are you sure?” Jace mutters as they go over to one of the tables. He can see Clary, Simon, and Izzy making their way into the Institute, probably off of patrol. The sight of Simon takes his breath away, and his heart starts beating rapidly. This is ridiculous.  _Everything_ is ridiculous. 

“Breathe, Jace.” Alec says, looking at him funny, and Jace groans and crosses his arms. “What’s the worst that could happen?” 

“I die.” Jace says immediately. Alec side-eyes him spectacularly for that, but Jace doesn’t have time to respond because Simon is  _here_. 

Here, in the flesh, solid and so very real as he draws close to Jace. His hair is ruffled from the wind, curls going every which way, and it’s so  _endearing_. Simon’s staring at Jace, his eyes crinkled in happiness as he offers Jace a small smile, biting his lips. 

“Hi.” Simon says breathlessly, and Jace can’t help the stupid grin that makes its way to his face. 

“Hi yourself.” He responds, raking his gaze over Simon’s form. “Patrol okay?” 

“Oh, you know.” Simon shrugs. “The usual. Demons, vampires, werewolves - an average Tuesday night for me now.” 

“How boring.” Jace says drily, and Simon laughs. Just like that, a little of the awkward, thick tension lessens, and Jace can breathe easier; Simon’s eyes soften and he takes a step closer to Jace until they’re standing nearly shoulder to shoulder. 

“It’s good to see you.” Simon says quietly. His voice is pitched low, the words wrapping them in their own little bubble; Jace’s field of vision has narrowed down to just Simon and his bright, bright gaze. 

“You just saw me this morning.” Jace teases lowly. Simon’s lips twist into a crooked grin, and Jace’s breath catches even as the Simon’s fingers brush against the back of his hand, a slight touch that leaves a trail of burning heat in it’s wake. For Jace, time seems to stand still as he keeps looking at Simon, a moment of quiet where their hands are just barely connected, and then ever so carefully he turns his palm outward and slips his fingers along Simon’s; Simon’s answering grin is dazzling as he laces their fingers tighter together, squeezing Jace’s hand and rubbing his thumb across Jace’s knuckles. 

“You know what I mean.” Simon says, bringing his other hand up and gently brushing Jace’s hair back. They’ve completely forgotten the rest of the Institute, and that they’re barely ten feet away from the others, who are studiously keeping up their own conversation and giving them some time; all Jace is aware of is Simon, and he’s pretty sure it works the same way on Simon’s end. He’s almost overwhelmed by how  _happy_ he is, the feeling bubbling up in his throat and threatening to spill over; he feels like he could shout from the rooftops how much he likes this boy, how much he likes something as mundane as holding his hand, how much it anchors him, facing the world as Simon and Jace  _together_. 

“I do.” Jace agrees softly, slowly leaning forward. Simon’s hand slides from his hair down to the base of his neck, pressing lightly against the skin there as he urges Jace on, his eyes flicking briefly to Jace’s lips, before they meet in the middle, their lips pressing together, agonizingly slow. 

It’s not their first kiss, not even their second kiss, but it’s the first one they’ve shared since Jace asked Simon on a date. Standing here, with Simon’s hand firmly intertwined with his, feeling Simon’s soft lips against his own, a hint of teeth as Simon’s fangs slip a little - 

It makes Jace believe in a happy ending; in something beautiful and achingly  _real_.


	8. null path length

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gift fic for the amazing kelsey ([ herondaleslewis ](http://herondaleslewis.tumblr.com/)), who asked for jimon + sick fic + simon meeting maryse.

_null path length: the length of the shortest node path between a parent and a child_

Jace  _rarely_  gets sick, so it’s not really his fault that he doesn’t notice the slight discomfort in his throat. In the grand scheme of daily bruises he endures, a tiny little sore throat isn’t a big deal. 

When he collapses on the floor of the Institute in the middle of talking to Maryse, however, it  _sort of_ becomes a big deal. 

“ _Jace_!” Maryse cries, and Jace blinks up at her from his position on the floor. His arms and legs feel weak and brittle, and it’s suddenly very,  _very_  cold. He feels Maryse’ arm grab his bicep and haul him up; he makes a weak sound of protest but immediately curls into her side, resting his cheek against her shoulder. He forgets how comfortable his mother is, and she rarely initiates physical contact with any of them. 

“Are you  _sick_?” Alec asks incredulously. 

“Hnghhh.” Jace mumbles, staring at his brother through half-lidded eyes. Maryse’s cool hand covers his forehead, and he sighs in relief. 

“He’s burning up.” She says, her voice fretful, and Izzy clucks her tongue as she feels his forehead as well. 

“I’ll bring some medicine from the lab.” His sister’s voice echoes as she leaves. 

“Let’s get you to bed, sweetie.” Mom’s voice sounds in his ear as his eyes flutter completely shut. It’s a testament to how tired he actually is that  _Maryse_ becomes  _Mom_  in his head, his brain automatically reverting to the name he calls her when he’s upset. Which is not - often, but she  _is_ the only mother he’s ever known and she’s not perfect but she’s tried her best, and begun to change for the better. 

And with that thought, his weakened body completely shuts down, and he slumps completely against Mom’s side, only distantly aware of making it to his room and crawling under the covers before he falls asleep. 

.

“ - not right, I can see him if I like!” 

“What do you  _want_  from my son? He’s sick! He can’t help whatever inane cause you feel the need to champion now  - “

“ _Need_? I  _need_  to see Jace so I can make sure he’s okay!”

“ _I’m_ taking care of Jace! I’m his  _mother_!”

“Well I’m his  _boyfriend_!”

There’s silence after that, and Jace’s sluggish mind slowly processes the conversation he’s overhearing as he fights through his nausea and sore throat back to consciousness.  _Shit_ , he’s pretty sure Maryse didn’t know he was dating Simon. Shit, shit, shit. 

He cracks an eye open to see Simon on one side of his bed, Maryse on the other, with Izzy and Clary uncertainly hovering in the doorway. Simon’s hair is in disarray, like he’s been running his hand through it, his expression frozen in shock as he stares Mom down. Mom’s staring back at Simon, stony-faced and tight-lipped. 

“Simon.” Jace says weakly, coughing, “Mom.” Everyone in the room snaps to attention, immediately crowding around him with concern in their eyes. “What’s happening?” 

“You’re running an  _extremely_ high fever, along with acute exhaustion and dehydration.” Izzy rattles off, holding a scanner to his forehead and narrowing her eyes. “Apparently you don’t know the basics to self-care.”

“This would have just been a cold if you’d eat more and drink more water, like I tell you to.” Simon says, exasperated, but the tension in his eyes and the gentle hand he places on Jace’s shoulder communicate his worry. 

Mom, however, is glaring at Simon even as she picks up a cup of water and presses it into Jace’s hands. 

“Drink.” She commands softly, and Jace gratefully gulps the water down. He thinks that that’s it, that he’s escaped the worst of the storm, when Mom follows it up with a snide, “See, I know how to take care of you, Jace. Isn’t it fascinating how he drinks more water when  _I_  tell him to?” 

As Simon splutters, Jace sinks back into his pillows and contemplates how sick he’d have to be to be unconscious again. 

.

Alec thinks its hilarious. 

“You’re so  _unhelpful_.” Jace hisses to his parabatai as Alec wheezes with laughter in the corner. Simon just came by to switch out Jace’s pillow for cleaner ones, fresh from the laundry room; Maryse came by, saw Simon arranging the pillows, and flounced out with a glare thrown over her shoulder at Simon. 

“Ten buck says Mom comes back with  _three_ pillows to beat Simon’s two.” Alec snort-laughs, and Simon and Jace both frown at him. 

The one good thing, though, is that Simon seems to have found a backbone against Maryse. It’s amusing, really, because Simon is usually fueled by at least seventy percent anxiety and fear, but something about sick Jace brings out a protective side of him that has him engaged in a passive-aggressive care-fest with the woman that raised Jace. It’s…nice, in a way, to be taken care of. Jace thinks he might get used to it. 

“Here,” Mom announces as she walks in the room with her hands full, “are  _four_ pillows, Jace. Only the best for my son. All fresh and fluffed perfectly.” 

“How  _dare_ you.” Simon seethes from where he’s sitting besides Jace, their thighs pressed close together. “My pillows are the  _fluffiest_. I know  _exactly_ how to arrange them!” Jace loudly blows his nose as Alec mouths  _ten dollars_ at him and rethinks how nice he thought this would be. 

.

Jace is half-asleep, almost fully recovered when he suddenly feels something thrust into his face. 

“Ah!” He gasps out, reflexes kicking in as he bolts upright in bed and reaches for a blade that isn’t there. The person jerks back, and Jace blinks blearily as the sleep clears from his eyes and he sees a guilty-looking Simon. 

“Sorry.” Simon soothes, placing a hand against Jace’s neck and rubbing a soothing circle with his thumb. “Should’ve been gentler in waking you up.” 

“Mm.” Jace yawns, his head beginning to throb. “’S alright. Can I get some painkillers?” 

“Not until you eat.” SImon scolds quietly. He smiles a little sadly and gestures at a thermos on Jace’s bedside table. “I, uh. Tried to make you my mom’s chicken noodle soup. It’s not, um - probably not as good as I remember it, because I can’t really eat so I couldn’t taste it while I made it, but I couldn’t go to my mom because I’m still only really calling her until I learn how to control myself - “

“Simon!” Jace laughs lightly, his heart beating faster as he takes in the beautiful boy across from him,  _so_ warm and kind. What did ever do to deserve Simon? “You’re rambling. It’s alright. I’m sure it tastes  _amazing_ , babe. Thank you.” 

“Oh.” Simon beams at him, and Jace tugs at his shirt until Simon gets the hint and crawls forward, pulling Jace into an embrace. Jace feels too tired and sick to do anything else, but it’s comforting to curl into Simon, resting his head over Simon’s chest and spending a few moments just  _existing_. “Good, now you  _have_  to eat it. Good boyfriend rules means it’s illegal to not like it, you know.” 

Jace laughs at that, disentangling himself from Simon as he reaches for the thermos, just as Maryse walks in. 

“Hey, Maryse.” Jace says, smiling at her. She has a carton in her hand, and when she spots the thermos, she frowns. 

“I told you  _I_ was getting him soup!” She snaps at Simon, setting the carton down hard on Jace’s desk. Simon frowns as he gets off of Jace’s bed and faces her. 

“And I told you  _I_ was going to  _make_ him soup!” He snaps back. Alec slips into the room after Maryse and his eyes flick between the two of them and Jace, frozen on his bed in a weird tableau, and rolls his eyes. 

“Well I didn’t think you  _could_. You’re a vampire, you can’t eat. What exactly can you offer my child?” Maryse says, glaring, and Simon stiffens. Jace hears a sharp intake of breath, and he’s surprised to realize that it was  _him_. 

“Yeah? Funny, you’ve hardly been a mother to him for the past year, how could  _you_  get him soup?” Simon says back without missing a beat, his voice cold and brittle. 

Jace’s heart stops at the hatred in both his mother’s voice and his boyfriend’s voice, at the way the grumbling arguments have escalated into tearing at weak spots, and he doesn’t know what to do, or who to turn to first. 

“ _Enough!”_  Alec’s voice says, hard and angry as he strides forward. He seems taller somehow as he effortlessly slips into his leader mode, putting a hand on both Maryse’ and Simon’s shoulders. “You’ll both stop this nonsense. Simon, you cannot talk to my mother like that; Mom, you can’t talk to Simon like that.”

“You’re dating him, but you can’t even respect his mother!” Maryse shouts, not heeding Alec at all. 

“Mom!” Alec snaps. 

“I  _love_ him!” Simon shouts back. “I just don’t want  _both_ of us to end up with mothers who can’t take it as soon as the next supernatural crisis leaves their son in a difficult position!” 

Maryse reels back like she’s been slapped; even Alec takes a step back, horrified. Simon slaps a hand over his mouth like he can’t believe what he’s just said, and Jace lets out a choked noise. 

“Simon?” he asks, not even sure of where to start. Simon just said he  _loved_ Jace, but more importantly - that sentence had a hell of a lot more self-loathing than anyone could have anticipated. 

“Sorry.” Simon croaks out, looking at Jace with terrified eyes. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.” Jace can’t tell what he’s apologizing for, but before he can speak and reassure Simon, Maryse speaks. 

“Simon.” She says, her voice steady now. “I understand.” 

“What?” Simon says, turning to stare at her instead. She approaches him, her movements slow and measured. 

“I did not treat Jace the way I should have for a while.” She says, swallowing. “That is completely my fault. That is why I am trying now to be the mother my children have always needed, because Raziel knows the mother I was when I was with Robert was not who they needed.” 

“Okay.” Simon says, his voice guarded and quiet. “Alright, and I’m so sorry, you have no idea - “

“I’m not finished.” Maryse says gently, and she comes to a stop in front of Simon and clasps his hands. “I am sorry for whatever you experienced with your mother. I assure you, I will not do that to Jace. Especially not for something as simple as him dating someone who clearly cares for him very much. Alec has taught me enough to know that I cannot take such a thing for granted.” 

Simon and Jace both stare at her in astonishment, while Alec just smiles to himself, quiet and proud of his mother. Simon’s hands are shaking slightly, from what Jace can see. He pushes the covers off of himself and stands up massaging his temples. 

“Mom.” Jace says, his voice breaking in the middle. “Mom, I -  _thank you.”_ Maryse smiles and brushes a hand over his cheek. 

“I’ll leave you two to talk.” She says, and then she sweeps out of the room gracefully, Alec following her before he pauses at the doorway.

“Listen, Simon, don’t - don’t hate her.” It’s not a threat; it’s just a request, and Alec’s voice is respectful, surprisingly. “I understand that you were fighting, and she said some horrible things as well, but - Maryse isn’t your enemy. Okay?” 

“Yeah.” Simon says, nodding, and Alec nods back once before he leaves too, shutting the door behind him. 

“So.” Jace says into the ensuing silence as Simon fidgets and refuses to meet his gaze. “You - “

“Yeah.” Simon says quickly, looking up. “Don’t be an ass about it, come on - “

“Sorry.” Jace grins, closing the distance between them and leaning down to rest his forehead against Simon’s. “I love you too, dork.”

“Romantic.” Simon sighs. “So romantic. I blurted it out while your mother was yelling at me, and you said it followed by an insult. Ugh.” 

“You showed my mother how much you cared about me and got her approval,” Jace counters, “and the insult thing, well. That’s just going to have to stick.” 

“Alright, Captain America.” Simon grumbles, but he brings his arms up and pulls Jace closer. “Maryse  _is_ a good mom.” He says quietly, and Jace presses a soft kiss to Simon’s forehead. 

“So is Elaine.” Jace says back, just as quiet. “And I’ll meet her one day, and she’ll treat me the same way Maryse just treated you, because your mother  _loves_ you.” 

“Okay.” Simon says, and its a testament to his ever-present grief over his family that he does nothing but stay quiet, wrapped up in Jace’s arms. 

“Okay.” Jace echoes, and he holds Simon close and tries to solve all their problems by simply loving him hard enough. 

It doesn’t work, but as Jace stares at the evidence littered all around the room of his mother and his boyfriend learning about each other and trying to outdo one another in caring the most, he can’t help but think it’s a start. 


	9. electric whisper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ agentbootyreportingforduty ](http://agentbootyreportingforduty.tumblr.com/) (i love her url so much lmao) prompted: 
> 
> "I love your jimon fics so much okay at this point I trust you with my life. prompt: jimon + praise kink. so like simon telling jace he did a good job or other encouragements and jace keeps blushing and simon just gets it."

They’re in a side room at the Institute - some closet or storage space or God knows what - when it happens for the first time, when Jace’s mouth closes in an imperfect seal over a particularly sensitive spot on Simon’s neck and he presses a wet, open-mouthed kiss against it, his stubble catching against the underside of Simon’s chin. Simon  _moans,_ a loud noise in the small, overheated room, and he babbles senselessly “ _God_ , Jace, you’re so amazing, so good, so amazing - “

Jace jerks forward against him, his hips grinding down  _hard,_ his fingers digging firmly enough into Simon’s waist to leave rapidly-healing bruises, an answering whimper rising, unbidden, out of his throat. 

Simon’s caught by surprise by the intense, sudden reaction, and he pulls away slightly, blinking through the haze of lust in his eyes to see Jace’s cheeks flush an attractive shade of pink, his chest heaving as he stares down at Simon. 

“What - “ Simon begins, but Jace doesn’t give him a chance to respond, just dives back in to kiss him harder, swiping his tongue insistently across Simon’s lower lip. 

He forgets about Jace’s reaction until, days later, they’re all clustered around one of the Institute’s many screens, debriefing, and Simon offhandedly compliments Jace.

“That was incredible fighting out there.  _You_  were incredible.” He says softly to Jace while Izzy rattles through a list of observations. Simon feels like now that he’s dating Jace, he should be able to say little things like this, but Jace’s reaction is abrupt - he flushes a deep red and his breath hitches as he meets Simon’s gaze. He swallows convulsively, his eyes flicking down to Simon’s lips and back again. 

This time, Simon notices and makes a mental note of it. Once is nothing, twice is a coincidence, but three times - three times should be a pattern, right? 

He’s looking for Jace in the Institute that night, lost in the endless maze of corridors that twist and turn through the building, when he hears the faint strain of a piano, the melody light and arresting. He tilts his head and focuses in on the sound as he turns down another hallway, seeking the source of the sound. 

He finds his answer in the room at the end, the door slightly ajar. Simon peers in to see Jace sat at the bench, his fingers nimbly dancing over the keys. His eyes are trained intently on the sheet music in front of him, his fringe falling softly in his face. Simon waits until Jace finishes, drinking in the sight of his boyfriend free of his worries, simply  _playing_ , a quiet joy in the way he throws himself into the music. 

“You play beautifully.” Simon says softly as the music ends. “You’re amazing on the piano.” Jace swings quickly to face him, his eyes widening in surprise and a faint blush staining his cheeks. 

“Hey, Simon.” Jace says, clearing his throat, but Simon frowns because it’s the same reaction - breathing faster, biting his lip, dilated pupils - 

“Oh my god.” Simon mutters to himself. “That turns you on.” 

“What?” Jace asks, a bemused expression on his face. Simon shakes his head and strides over to him, sliding his hands over Jace’s cheeks and drawing him in for a long, bruising kiss, bracing one knee against the bench as he leans in further. Jace’s arm comes up around his waist, pulling them closer together as he snakes his other arm up Simon’s back, pushing his T-shirt out of the way as he goes, fingers digging into the soft skin. 

“Simon.” Jace mumbles, pulling away and then blinking hard, biting his lip before he surges forward and kisses Simon again. Simon hums in response, smoothing his thumb over the soft hair at the nape of Jace’s neck as Jace breaks away, taking in deep, ragged breaths. 

“You don’t have to answer now.” Simon murmurs. “Just talk about it whenever you’re comfortable, but I’m just going to put it out there that maybe you have a  _tiny_  thing for when I compliment you, so fair warning I’m  _probably_  going to abuse that power recklessly - stop me if you hate it, though.” 

“As if you don’t already abuse your puppy eyes.” Jace snorts, tugging Simon forward until Simon gives in and straddles his lap. Simon raises an eyebrow. 

“Loving the attitude,” he says, “but that wasn’t an answer, dude.” Jace sighs and leans in, tucking his head awkwardly under Simon’s chin and nosing at the underside of Simon’s jaw. 

“Don’t call me dude while we’re making out, God.” Jace huffs out, his breath whispering across Simon’s skin. Simon snickers as he presses a soft kiss to Jace’s hair, waiting for Jace to work out whatever he needs to in his head. There’s silence for a while, the ambient noise of the Institute filtering around them. Somewhere a door slams; Jace’s hands tighten around Simon’s waist in response, his legs tensing. 

“It’s you.” Jace says in a rush, his voice barely above a whisper as he lifts his head, looking up to meet Simon’s gaze squarely. “I - I like when you’re proud of me.” 

“Yeah?” Simon breathes out, an overwhelming wave of affection hitting him as he looks back at Jace. “ _God_.” 

“Is that…weird?” Jace asks, frowning, and Simon laughs giddily. 

“God,  _no_.” He tucks an errant lock of hair behind Jace’s ear, idly tracing patterns across his temple. “You’re in luck, because  _I_ like being proud of you.” 

“Simon, it’s not - not like a normal level of liking it.” Jace says, the frown becoming more pronounced, and Simon shakes his head at that and kisses Jace, slow and sweet, trying to communicate without words how much he wants to support Jace in this. 

“Jace,” Simon says, drawing back, “normal is relative. It’s normal to like whatever the hell you want to like. And I,” he adds, rolling his hips slightly, “like you,” 

“Yeah?” Jace echoes, a small smile breaking out over his face as he looks at Simon. The worry is fading from his eyes, and Simon grins at that, ready to explore this side of Jace. 

“Yeah.” He confirms, leaning in to tug at Jace’s bottom lip with his teeth as he rolls his hips again. Jace’s hips rise to meet him this time, a low groan of approval escaping him as he screws his eyes shut and tugs at Simon’s shirt. Simon hums, pressing kisses up Jace’s jaw until he reaches the soft skin of his neck and drags his fangs gently across it, relishing the moan it pulls out of Jace. 

“You’re so beautiful under me,” Simon whispers against Jace’s skin, punctuating the words with a tiny bite that he immediately soothes with a kiss. Jace shudders underneath him, hissing as he claws at Simon’s back. 

“ _Simon_.” Jace manages to get out, and Simon snakes a hand down to palm the front of Jace’s jeans, watching intently as Jace opens his eyes and hazily stares back at him. 

“You’re gorgeous when you begin to fall apart,” Simon says, and the muscles in Jace’s arms jump at the praise. Jace is flushed with pleasure, his breathing coming in short gasps. “You’re so good for me.” 

“For you,” Jace gasps out, his voice rough, “ _anything.”_

And God, it’s really not fair that even when  _Jace_  is the one getting off on his praise kink it’s Simon that gets floored completely, but as he stares at Jace in astonishment and then immediately dives back in for a searing kiss, his fingers working at Jace’s belt, he finds that he really can’t bring it in himself to be anything other than unbelievably happy about the whole thing. 


	10. you in my light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted:
> 
> "hi! if you ever wanted/got inspired to, could you write jace/simon + jace appreciating simon SO MUCH, like being in awe of everything he does (like me, tbh) but for some reason never being able to say it out loud. to simon's face. i absolutely love your fics, you're so talented, and i hope you'll have a great weekend!"

“You love me,” Simon whispers one night into the curve of Jace’s neck, the words shaky and vulnerable, “right?” 

Jace wants to respond immediately  _yes_ and  _you’re the best part of me_ and  _it sure as hell would be awkward if I didn’t, you’re my fiance_. 

He wants to say  _when you enter a room, you light it up. You know how to see the best in people, how to give them a second chance, how to treat immortality like the next big adventure. You know how to hold on and how to love and how to be loved_. 

He wants to run his fingers across the curve of Simon’s cheeks, press kisses across his fragile skin and map out Simon’s body, real and solid until Simon shakes apart in his arms, whispering Jace’s name like it’s something holy. Jace wants to trace the lines of runes into Simon’s shoulder, kiss  _love_  and  _heal_  and  _life_  into the flat planes of Simon’s stomach and the sensitive skin of his thighs, bite the words in until Simon is writhing under him, skin dotted with the bruises of Jace’s love for him. 

How can he tell Simon that it’s everything, the little moments and the big moments, the way Simon has embedded himself so deeply in Jace’s bones that he can’t give Simon up, even though it’s by far the most selfish move he’s ever made in his life?

Little moments - of course Simon Lewis is good at that. He smiles when Jace makes a joke, brushes his fingers across Jace’s arm when someone say something upsetting, glances at Jace constantly with fondness in his eyes. He leaves sunflowers lying around Jace’s room, new boots at the foot of his bed, a love letter on his desk for when Jace comes back after a particularly difficult mission.  _You are not your past_  he tells Jace when Jace looks in the mirror and sees Valentine staring back;  _you are my future_  he says effortlessly, like it costs nothing at all to love Jace and commit to him, and isn’t that - isn’t that something?

And the big moments - 

Simon’s wrath unleashed is like nothing else. He once summoned a demon out of hell with Magnus and stood his ground, defeating it to save Alec. He waltzes through the Seelie Court, charming everyone as the Downworlder ambassador to the Shadowhunters. He walks in the sunlight and fights rogue vampires, makes it look easy to be himself and be effortlessly ruthless, fighting for what he believes in. 

He got down on one knee for Jace. Simon stayed, through all the rough nights and days - he stayed. 

“Yeah.” Jace says, his voice thick with everything he doesn’t know how to say out loud as he turns around and gathers a shaking Simon in his arms. “I love you. Always. You - you know.” 

_You know that I love you more than the world._

_“_ Yeah,” Simon whispers back, his gaze raking across Jace’s face as he swallows and grips Jace’s waist tighter, “yeah, I know.”


	11. can't think straight (you're in my way)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kelsey ([ herondaleslewis ](http://herondaleslewis.tumblr.com/)) prompted: 
> 
> "jimon + training *bonus* of stuttering jace when simon takes off his shirt."

_Right. Right, left, right. Right, right, left. Roundhouse, back-spinning, roundhouse._

_“_ Jace!” Simon waves cheerfully as he walks in to the training area and grabs a staff. “Showing that bag who’s boss, I see.” 

“Don’t tease him, he’s clearly very focused on his time-consuming fight against the punching bag.” Clary scolds, laughing a little at Jace. Jace grunts and rolls his eyes fondly at them, not breaking his rhythm. Izzy follows them, scrolling through a tablet as she perches on a nearby table and gestures at Simon and Clary. 

“Go. Simon needs to work on control and you need to work on speed, so you can help each other.” She instructs, and Clary grabs a staff too as she and Simon begin to circle each other on the mat, in front of Jace and his punching bag. 

_Right, right, left, left, right. Roundhouse, one-eighty, back-spinning. Roundhouse, roundhouse._

Simon’s moving sinuously across the mat, his movements sure and predatory as he side-steps Clary and darts in for a quick attack. He’s gotten better, Jace thinks vaguely as he half watches Simon and half goes through his own routine, moving automatically through the punches and the kicks, taking time to center the bag when it swings too wildly. 

_Left, right, left, left. Low roundhouse, roundhouse, high roundhouse. Switch, back-spinning. Right, left, right. Right, left, right._

Jace takes a moment to push his fringe out of his face, sweat soaking the roots of his hair. Simon’s not sweating - the bastard barely does, now that he’s a vampire - and he’s instead grinning crookedly at Clary, who’s frustratedly mopping her forehead and glaring at her staff like that’ll motivate it to move faster. 

“Look at his feet, and the shifts. Rely more on sound than on your vision.” Izzy calls out to Clary, and Clary nods, shifting her stance and looking at Simon. Simon tilts his head and glances at Jace, grinning widely when he sees Jace watching. 

“Impressed, Wayland?” He calls out to Jace, and Jace groans, shaking his head. 

“You wish, Lewis.” He calls back, smirking, and Simon laughs a little before he ducks in to attack Clary again. 

_Right, roundhouse, right. Front-roundhouse, roundhouse, roundhouse. Right, left, right._

_“_ Ah!” Simon hisses as Clary’s staff snags in his T-shirt and rips it. “Shit.” 

“Sorry!” Clary exclaims, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Not sure how that happened.” 

“Just take it off.” Izzy says, leering dramatically at Simon, and Simon rolls his eyes as he shucks his shirt, leaving him only in his sweatpants. 

_Right, right, right, right, right -_

Jace can’t take his eyes off of the planes of Simon’s chest, the dip and curve of his collarbone. The little hint of hair that peeks out of Simon’s shirt is thick and dark when fully revealed, tapering quickly into a faint trail that leads past his navel to the black waistband of his boxers, his sweatpants falling just beneath that. 

 _Abs_ , Jace thinks deliriously,  _he has a great smile and great abs too_. It’s ridiculous. He’s not sure what the two have to do with each other. He tries to focus back on the punching bag - 

 _Left, left, right, left, right, right_  - 

Simon’s back is corded with muscle, rippling and shifting as he moves. He circles back to face Clary again and Jace’s eyes drop to the sharp v of his hipbones, perfect for digging fingertips into - 

_Right, right, right, roundhouse, right, right -_

_“_ Jace? You’re looking a little funny, are you sick?” Simon asks, suddenly drawing closer to Jace, and suddenly  _miles_  of tanned skin are in sight, and Jace can’t  _think_  at the sight of the way Simon’s torso sways as he walks over - 

_Right, right, right, roundhouse, back-spinning, Simon’s chest FUCK -_

Jace makes a garbled sound as his brain suddenly shuts off and he overbalances on his kick, swinging wildly and falling backwards, his back hitting the ground hard. The sound echoes through the room, pain briefly lancing up his spine as he groans, and Simon’s worried face peers over him as he crouches down next to Jace. 

“Jace, what - are you seriously alright, you just - that sounded so painful, wow - “ Simon starts to say, his eyes raking over Jace for injuries, presumably, and suddenly Jace is up close and personal with every inch of Simon’s shirtless body, and his mind decides to shut down for the second time in as many seconds as he curls a hand around Simon’s neck and yanks him down, kissing him full on the mouth. 

Simon’s lips are soft and cool over his, a muffled noise of surprise escaping them that Jace swallows down. His hands fall flat on the ground next to Jace, bracketing his head, his elbows caging Jace in. Jace takes the opportunity to get his other hand up, and  _finally_  he can drag his fingers across Simon’s chest and thumb over a nipple lightly, scratching his nails through the coarse hair lower on Simon’s belly and digging them into the v of Simon’s hipbones in the shape of little crescent bruises - 

“ _Not in front of me_!” Clary shrieks, slapping a hand across Izzy’s eyes, and Jace and Simon finally break apart and sit up, blinking heavily at each other. “Si, I love you but for the love of God don’t make me witness this in the  _training room_.” 

“You and Izzy made out  _while I was in the elevator with you_.” Simon gripes. “I should be able to make out in front of you all I want.” He offers a hand to Jace as he stands up, and Jace accepts it, bemused, as he stares at Simon. 

“Best friend bylaws.” Clary says gaily, throwing her staff to the corner of the room. “C’mon, Izzy, lets go be lesbian somewhere where these two aren’t cluttering up the room with their gay.” 

“How romantic.” Izzy says dryly, but she lets herself be led out of the room, winking at Jace as she goes. Jace looks at Simon then, his mouth a little dry, his heart doing something funny in his chest. 

“You’re hopeless.” Simon says fondly, squeezing Jace’s arm and then tangling their fingers together. “Your heartbeat just  _skyrocketed_  when I took my shirt off. I thought you were going to  _die_ , briefly.” 

“I was, you - you looked - “Jace splutters. Simon’s laughing at him, his free hand covering his mouth as he looks on in delight at Jace’s reddened cheeks. “Stupid.” Jace declares hotly. “So stupid.” 

“Sure.” Simon agrees. “You look stupid too, Jace.” He pauses, and then glances slyly at Jace. “Wanna make out a little?” 

“Take me on a date first, I’m not  _easy_.” Jace says in a scandalized tone, and Simon visibly startles. 

“You want that?” he asks, and Jace squints at him, hoping he’s reading the situation correctly. 

“Obviously.” He says slowly. “Do you?” Simon smiles then, soft and private, for just the two of them.

“I am going to woo you so hard.” Simon declares. Jace smiles back at him, strangely giddy, before he frowns. 

“First put your shirt back on.” He says, letting go of Simon and crossing his arms. Simon looks down at his bare chest, opens his mouth, looks up at Jace, and then doubles over laughing at the grumpy look on Jace’s face. “I’m  _serious_.” Jace insists, and Simon just laughs harder. 

It’s sort of a beautiful sound, though, and Jace admits to himself that he’s stupidly transfixed by Simon Lewis, no matter what he does -  _even_  if it’s wheezing ungracefully while pulling on a half-ripped shirt. 


	12. eye of the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ doraingrey ](http://doraingray.tumblr.com/) prompted: 
> 
> "jimon + kissing in the rain?? (i'm a sap i know)"

The rain is relentless, beating against Jace’s shoulders and soaking him to the bone. His thin shirt offers no protection, clinging to his skin, cold and clammy, and he impatiently pushes his hair out of his face as he looks around wildly, trying to find a flash of  _anything_  in the pouring rain outside the entrance to the Seelie Glade. 

“Simon!” He calls again, anger seeping into his voice, because  _fuck_ , here they are again, back to square one, running away from each other, terrified at the fragile thing between them. From the moment Jace met his gaze, brown eyes worried and hostile next to Clary, he’s known that Simon is  _something_ , and it’s so easy to push and pull at him instead of facing down what it really means - 

But he’s here now, right? Blindly stumbling through the heavy rain, teeth clenched tight against the shivers wracking his body, his mind focused with a single-minded intensity on finding Simon, on making this  - making it worth that tenuous  _something_ that’s been building up. 

“ _Simon_!” He yells again, and he’s desperate now, turning in circles, looking for a flash of brown hair  _anywhere_  along the trees, boots slipping in the mud as he spins. “ _Fuck_ , where are you? Is it  _that_  repulsive to think that we could - “

“You’re really one to talk.” Simon appears suddenly, as quickly as if he’s been there the whole time, the distortion in the raindrops falling the only indication that he used his vampire speed to get here. Jace’s breath catches in his throat, his heart suddenly pounding faster, and it’s  _stupid_ but he can still remember the way Simon had looked, his voice raw and anguished as he’d confessed to the Seelie Queen that he would save Jace from the spell. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jace asks, swallowing hard, his courage from the past few minutes leaving him in one sudden rush, voices in his head clamoring with all the reasons that this is a monumentally bad idea. 

“ _Emotions cloud judgment, Simon,”_ Simon mocks, his voice low and angry, his gaze sharp as he glares at Jace, “ _You don’t know anything about this world, Simon,_ or my personal favorite -  _you’ll never understand anything_  - “

“Hey, no - that’s not - you know that’s not what I meant.” Jace says quietly, softly stunned, because those are - those are the things he says to himself to convinces himself that he doesn’t deserve good things. It’s the echo of the world Valentine drilled into him, and it’s been - it’s all the people around him who drowned that out through sheer force of will, loving Jace hard enough to make him feel like there’s something bigger out there in the world. People like Maryse, people like Izzy and Alec and Max, people like Clary, and people like - 

And  _Simon_ , who smiles like it’s going out of fashion, makes it easier to breathe sometimes by just being himself, genuine and honest and everything that makes life bright. 

“It’s what you think.” Simon says, just as quietly, bitterly. “I accepted a long time ago I had no chance with you, Jace.” 

“You don’t know that.” Jace says tightly, crossing his arms and feeling his heart begin to shatter just a little bit. 

“I know it.” Simon looks at something far away, his eyes fixed unseeing on the trees behind him. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m not going to be the person whose heart you break. I’m not Clary, and I’m in love with you, but - but you’re -”

 _Quick to anger, and quicker to hurt_ , the Seelie Queen had whispered when Jace had been caught in the throes of an errant spell from one of her Knights,  _I cannot help someone who collects darkness around them like a cloak to wear proudly. I cannot help a liar, unless someone tells the truth for him._

 _I will do anything_ , Simon had said then before Alec or Izzy could say it, and it had shocked everyone into silence, the only sounds left the pained gasps coming from Jace, writhing under the spell’s grasp, his eyes fixed on a trembling Simon.  _I will do anything, I love him. I love him._

Now, staring at Simon shaking apart in front of him, stumbling back, Jace reaches a hand out and tries to reach Simon, tries to fix this before it breaks, tries to be the man Simon seems to see in him. 

“I’m in love with you.” He murmurs quietly, and Simon shakes his head harder, turning away from him and stumbling a few steps away, audibly heaving ragged breaths. 

“You’re  _not_.” Simon says, misery laced through his words. “You  _can’t_  be.” 

“Don’t lie to yourself.” Jace says, and his voice is stronger this time, determined. “Don’t break  _my_  heart.” 

Simon makes a wounded noise, a sound of anger and desperation, and he whirls around faster than Jace’s eyes can track, crossing the distance between them and crashing his lips into Jace’s. His arms come up to clutch at Jace’s back, nails digging in sharp enough to hurt, pinpoints of pain against the chill of the rain. His mouth is slick and open under Jace’s, lips insistent and rough, a slight hint of fangs peeking out. Water cascades around them, raindrops trickling into the heated space between them, kissed away as Jace grasps Simon’s hips and tries to pull him as close as physically possible. 

It’s cold and miserably wet, but Jace feels like he’s just climbed a mountain, adrenaline pulsing hotly through his veins as Simon expertly licks his way into Jace’s mouth and groans deliriously under him. His chest feels to big to contain the rapid beating of his heart, swelling with hope and fear and hurt. He doesn’t want to let go of this moment, of the way Simon’s wet, bedraggled curls brush against his forehead, how Simon tucks Jace’s sopping wet hair behind his ear with gentle, questing fingers, the way Simon’s body pushes in closer, closer, closer. 

“I’m so scared.” Simon pulls away long enough to say into the space between them, the words quiet and lost in the tattoo of raindrops against the ground. Jace bites his lip and watches Simon’s eyes, tries to pinpoint the exact shade of darkened brown that’s staring back at him. 

“So am I.” He says hoarsely, and Simon doesn’t say anything back, doesn’t have to. Standing under the rain, watching raindrops slip across Simon’s face and pool in the hollow of his collarbone, he thinks that they both know this is something they can’t let go of, can’t be selfless enough to give up. 

“We should get out of the rain.” Simon says instead, tracing a thumb down the wet slope of Jace’s cheekbone, and Jace smiles faintly. 

“We should.” He agrees, and instead kisses Simon again, the rain beating in time with his heart. 


	13. irresistible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted: 
> 
> "Would you do a jimon first kiss fic for the prompt gentle peck and hot steamy kiss? I ❤️ u so much your writing makes my day better"

“You’re brooding.” Jace announces loudly, and Simon jumps from his spot in an alley, lurking in the little sliver of a shadow a building is providing and looking longingly at the sunlit street beyond like it’s the forbidden lands and not something he can actually  _stand in_. 

“I’m  _not_.” Simon says peevishly. “How do you  _do_ that?” Jace shrugs, half-smirks at that. 

“I’m the greatest Shadowhunter  _alive_.” He responds, gesturing to himself. “You can barely knock on the door without ripping it off its hinges.” 

“That was  _once_.” Simon says, scowling deeply, and Jace laughs at the way his brow furrows and he looks like a disgruntled kitten. He crosses his arms and knocks his shoulder against Simon’s, gently. 

“Go out in the sun, it’s not going to bite you.” He says instead of the sentence that seems permanently lodged on the tip of his tongue around Simon,  _you’re gorgeous and I want to see what you’d feel like over me_. It’s an inappropriate thought, even  _if_  Clary gave her blessing for her ex-brother to date her ex-boyfriend. Which is weird, but sweet, in her own strange, Clary-like way. 

“Excuse me if I don’t want to suddenly end up like a well done French fry.” Simon mutters, and Jace snorts. 

“Seeing as it’s  _my_ blood in you,” he says, and tries to ignore the way Simon looks sharply at him at that, his eyes dark and inscrutable _, “_ I want to assure you that I’ve never let anyone down in regards to…parts of my body.” He leers at Simon, who splutters in outrage and throws his hands up. 

“Don’t you have some other girls to put as notches on your bed, or whatever ridiculous, outdated Lothario thing you think you’re doing?” He asks snidely, frowning at Jace, and Jace takes a step back, frowning hard as he realizes what Simon thinks of him. He shrugs, careful to keep the emotion out of his face. 

“Whatever.” He says, and it comes out forcefully casual, enough that Simon actually blinks and looks shocked. 

“Jace, I - “ He begins, and Jace shakes his head. 

“Just go out in the sun,” he says quietly, staring at a spot to the left of Simon, “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” 

“Oh.” is all that Simon says, and then he moves, and he’s standing in the sun in the dingy alley, his eyes bright as the light paints his skin golden, highlights the strong cut of his jaw and cheekbones, the slope of his nose and chin. “ _Oh_.” 

Jace can’t help but smile, a little sadly, as he sees Simon’s hands flutter and his palms turn upwards, like he’s trying to catch every little drop of sunlight, not let anything slip through his fingers. 

“Jace.” Simon says, and his voice is giddy with happiness. “This is like the third day I’ve walked in the sun and I’m still not over it.” 

“No?” Jace asks, laughing now. “I can tell, you look like you’re high off of something.” 

“Mmm.” Simon closes his eyes briefly, and then seems to steel himself for something, opening them again and meeting Jace’s gaze. 

“I feel like I have to tell you  _now_ , while you’re feeling charitable towards me,” Simon says, nervously running a hand through his hair, “but, um - I know you’ve got a  _thing_ or something for Clary, but I - I think I - I like you? I mean, I like you. I want to take you out to dinner, and, and  _date_ you, because you’re - you’re you, and you make me smile, and you’ve been there for me when I needed it. Hell, you saved my life - “

Jace can barely comprehend the words spilling out of Simon’s mouth, can barely  _hear_ over the rushing in his head, his heart pounding away in his chest as he watches something like a dream unfold in front of him - Simon,  _here_ , wanting him as badly as he wants Simon, and this - good things don’t work out for Jace like this - 

He strides forward before he can second-guess himself, cradling Simon’s face and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips to stem the flow of words. He can’t help himself, can’t help but press in close for a second, relishing the soft sound of surprise that Simon makes, before he breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against Simon’s. 

“Yeah.” Jace says, and he clears his throat, his voice hoarse. “It’s you. It’s been you.”

“Holy shit.” Simon breathes out in wonder. “This is - this is happening.” 

“Go out with me, Lewis.” Jace says, and he smiles, small and genuine, because it’s  _Simon_ , looking at him like he hung the moon, and it makes Jace feel like a better person, like a good man. 

“Yeah.” Simon says, “ _Yeah.”_ Jace laughs and goes to pull away, his hands dropping from their hold on Simon, and Simon shakes his head suddenly, his eyes intent. 

“I wanna kiss you.” Simon says, and that’s the only warning Jace gets before he’s suddenly pushed backwards into the alley, his back hitting the wall as Simon’s lips seal over his, hard and demanding. Simon kisses like he doesn’t know his own strength, alternating between tugging at Jace’s lip with his blunt, human teeth, sending tendrils of lust curling through him, and pressing their lips together, slick and open-mouthed, filthy in the best possible way as he swipes his tongue over Jace’s bottom lip. 

Jace moans, caught off guard, and Simon presses in harder, deeper, his tongue sliding against Jace’s, one of his hands coming up to tug at Jace’s carefully styled hair, finding the tiny pins he uses and pulling them out. Jace gasps, his hands scrabbling wildly for purchase, digging into the firm muscle of Simon’s back as he holds on and kisses back, his nose dragging along Simon’s cheek. The alley is filled with the slick noise of their kisses and Jace’s ragged breathing, the slight whimper that rises in his throat, unbidden, every time that Simon’s grip on his hair tightens. 

He’s getting light-headed from lack of air, so he tears himself away, managing to get out “Simon,  _Simon”_ as he sucks air back into his lungs, and Simon’s other hand is clutching at Jace’s hip, thumb dipping below his jeans to drag across the warm skin there. 

“I’ve been  _dreaming_ about this.” Simon mutters, before he skims his lips across Jace’s jaw, pressing kisses against the faint stubble. Jace tilts his head up, slightly, and Simon hisses, nosing at the fragile skin of Jace’s neck, the tip of a fang dragging gently across the skin. 

“I’m  _not_  going to bite you.” Simon assures him, and Jace hums his assent as Simon tightens his grip in Jace’s hair and presses human teeth to the spot just below Jace’s ear, biting and laving at the spot until Jace swears he can feel the imprint of a mean hickey beginning. He shudders then, the thought of Simon marking him more arousing than he ever thought possible; he’s physically bigger than Simon but in that moment he feels small under him, like Simon’s breaking him apart and putting him back together. 

“We’re in  _public_.” he protests, his voice rough, even though they’re in an alley nobody’s passing by, and Simon snickers against his neck, pulling back to look at Jace. The hand he has in Jace’s hair makes it’s way to Jace’s ear so he can press his fingers against the mark he left there, a pleasantly delicious ache twinges through Jace’s body at the point where Simon is touching him. 

“Glamour rune, aren’t you the  _greatest Shadowhunter alive_?” Simon asks, grinning crookedly, and  _oh_ , Jace can’t let him get away with that kind of attitude, so he growls and lets his eyes flash golden as he activates the rune effortlessly, enjoying the way Simon’s pupils dilate at the sight. 

“You’re making me such an easy date, putting out immediately.” Simon sighs, and Jace smirks. 

“I think you’ll survive.” He says lowly, flipping them and holding Simon against the wall, grinning wickedly as Simon swallows. He pushes his knee against Simon’s and forces his legs open, stepping into the space and rolling their hips together. Simon throws his head back and groans, his eyes fluttering shut. 

“Easy it is.” Simon says, his voice strangled. 

“Not easy.” Jace says, and his voice comes out softer than he thought it would, thick with affection as he presses a soft kiss to Simon’s mouth. “Irresistible.” 

And he swears, for a moment he feels like he could fly at the brilliant smile Simon responds with, his heart wildly pounding in his chest as he thinks that he could get used to that smile, for as long as Simon will give it. 


	14. orbit of a broken heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted:
> 
> "prompt: jimon + sleeping together and then agreeing to pretend it never happened, but obviously that doesn't work *flails*"

Jace remembers exactly how it happened, because he’s not the kind of drunk to forget things, and he wasn’t even that drunk anyway; he remembers exactly how they’d moved, Simon’s eyes full of promise as they’d kissed, slow and languid and unhurried in a dark corner of Magnus’ party, and then they’d stumbled into one of the bedrooms; he remembers exactly how his heart had broken, clinging desperately to this one chance to be selfish and have what he wanted, and maybe that’s the saddest thing of all.

The memory is burned across the forefront of his mind, of Simon leaning in and whispering, low, his body swaying slightly to the music  _why are you here, Jace, I’m not even your type, man._  And it was meant to be a joke, the kind they’re allowed to tease each other with now that they’re friends, or something like friends-adjacent, but Jace had been stupid-confident with the low, exhilarating buzz of alcohol and he’d leaned in closer, too close, and whispered back  _but you are_  and Simon had made a low, thrilled noise; he’d pressed into Jace until there was no space left between them and sealed their mouths together.

Jace can vividly recall the way Simon had felt, tongue lazily stroking the roof of Jace’s mouth, fingertips creeping up over Jace’s back and dragging down slowly, his hips undulating to the beat of the music against Jace’s. Jace had been powerless in the face of everything he’d wanted, and he’d pushed back to give as good as he’d got, hoisting Simon up by his thighs as they’d kissed and stumbling backwards until they’d found a door and pushed through it, Jace carelessly turning the lock with his hand as he’d slammed Simon up against the wall.

“You’re –  _oh_  –  _fuck_  – how far do you want to - ?” Simon had asked, and Jace had hummed, pleased, as he’d nosed along the delicate line of Simon’s jaw, setting his teeth in the fragile skin of Simon’s neck and biting lightly.

“Everything.” Jace had answered carelessly, the words flying out of his mouth with an alarming sincerity, but with arousal running hot through his veins, he couldn’t have cared less; he’d let Simon’s legs down and then immediately dropped to his knees, eyes fixed hungrily on Simon’s belt buckle as he’d fumbled through getting his pants down and over his knees and then before Simon could push his boxers down he’d leaned forward, mouthing at Simon’s cock through the thin cotton, body thrumming with a sudden urgency to  _devour_  the other man.

“ _Fuck_ , you’re amazing,  _Jace_.” Simon had breathed out, his hands going to anchor themselves in Jace’s hair, and Jace had closed his eyes and savored it, the frisson of pleasure creeping up his spine at the way Simon said his name, and he’d worked that night to tear his name out of Simon’s mouth in every way possible. Simon, shuddering  _Jace_  and pulling him up to taste himself in Jace’s mouth; Simon, whispering  _Jace_  with a kind of awe on his face that had  _hurt_  to look at as he’d pushed three fingers into Jace and Jace had moaned, loud and needy, the sound echoing through the room; Simon, crying  _Jace_  as he’d come undone over Jace, pushing in and in and in until they were wrapped together, moving with a frenzied urgency together, eyes locked onto each other as Jace memorized every line of Simon’s face like this, gorgeous and wild.

And now, as he wakes up with Simon’s head pillowed on his chest, heremembers  _everything_ , and it suddenly hurts so much he can barely breathe, and he slips out of bed as quietly as he can, leaving it behind.

.

He can’t leave it behind. He and Simon are out of sync, today, looking at each other and then looking away, and Jace can’t stop flushing with an absurd undercurrent of lust every time he moves and his legs ache, reminding him of last night, or when he pushes his fingers against the hickey Simon left on his hipbone, hidden by his shirt.

It’s making him feel  _heartbroken_ , because Simon  _was_  a little drunk and it probably meant nowhere near as much to him as it does to Jace, because Jace is all in and Simon – Simon’s only been broken up with Clary for two weeks, now, and Jace is the rebound, he  _knows_  it. It hurts, and his body is still pulsing with the feeling of Simon, memories fresh from last night, and it’s confusing, and he snaps at Simon more than once, and Simon snaps back, and they’re both too awkward and stilted around each other.

“How much did you have to drink last night?” Izzy asks him, bewildered, as he misses his landing and missteps when he jumps down from the roof, stumbling. He grunts, and shrugs; Alec cuts him a look, and Jace is pretty sure he’s figured out what happened from the parabatai bond.

“Enough to see you slip out with Clary and  _remember it_.” Jace responds instead, smirking, and Izzy laughs and they forget about it; but Simon stares at him like he’s a puzzle that can’t be figured out and Clary raises an eyebrow.

Later, Simon pulls him aside, his grip firm and unavoidable, and Jace stares at him, waiting for him to speak, and desperately thinking  _say you’re in love with me too. Say the impossible, Simon, say it_.

“Look,” Simon says, his eyes darting around furtively, “it doesn’t have to mean anything. We can pretend it never happened. Just stop ignoring me like I’m gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe, Jesus.” He says, and Jace laughs a little because he can’t help it, his heart aches and Simon’s still the most beautiful and ridiculous person he’s ever seen.

He rubs the back of his neck, looks at Simon carefully.

“Sure.” He says, and Simon’s eyes lighten considerably, and Jace pretends it doesn’t kill him a little on the inside. “Sure.”

.

He really – tries. To pretend like it didn’t happen. But how can he forget the feeling of Simon’s arms pinning him in place, his eyes hungry as he pressed kisses down Jace’s chest, their legs tangled together like it’s the easiest thing in the world? How can he pretend Simon didn’t give him something immeasurably precious?

“You’ve gotta talk to him.” Alec tells him, and Jace snorts.

“Talking, yeah, how’d that work out for you?” He asks, handing Alec his bow and arrow as they suit up for patrol. Alec grimaces.

“Point.” He concedes. “But here’s a  _novel_ idea – maybe you could, oh, I don’t know,  _learn_  from my mistakes?”

“See, that implies I make mistakes too, and as we all know, that’s not true.” Jace says, smirking, and Alec cuffs him over the head for that as Jace tries to dodge, laughing.

“Right,” Simon says, appearing next to them with Clary and Izzy in tow, “because putting salt in your coffee this morning was what you  _intended_  to do.”

“It’s how the French take their coffee.” Jace responds loftily. “You wouldn’t understand.” Simon laughs, shoves Jace gently, and Izzy starts saying something about coffee beans, and Jace doesn’t listen for a moment, just looks at Simon, and after a beat Simon looks at him, his eyes warm. They hold on to each other like that for a second too long, and Jace feels his heart stutter in his chest.

.

Simon is  _everywhere_. Jace is walking through Central Park, trying to get some time alone, when he sees Simon sitting on a bench and contemplating a melting ice-cream cone like it’s holding the secrets of the universe.

“Give that to me.” Jace says, snatching the ice cream from his hands, and Simon startles, his arm flailing and hitting the bench railing. It dents slightly and Jace raises an eyebrow, incredulous, as he licks the melting drops off the cone. “You can’t eat this, what’s wrong with you?”

“Where did you come from, man?” Simon asks instead, gaping. His eyes flicker to where Jace is swirling his tongue over the cone, and Jace flushes because he vividly remembers using the same motion in a much more  _intimate_  place. “I don’t know, I just really missed ice cream.”

“So you sat here like a lunatic, just waiting for it to melt all over your fingers?” Jace asks, sliding on the bench next to him. He slides in too close accidentally, and their thighs are pressing together, and Simon looks at him for a moment too long.

“Yeah.” Simon says, and then he’s reaching across the space between them, his thumb brushing softly against Jace’s lower lip. Jace can’t  _breathe_ , and he holds himself as still as possible, the air growing thick between them with tension as Simon brings his thumb away, a drop of strawberry ice cream on it.

“You had a bit of – “ Simon says hoarsely, and they both look at his thumb, and Simon slowly brings it up to his mouth and sucks the drop off, his cheeks hollowing out around the finger and his eyes trained intently on Jace’s. It’s obscene and beautiful in a wild, reckless way.

Jace’s caged heart pounds wildly in his chest and he drops the ice cream cone.

“Jace.” Simon says helplessly, and Jace shakes his head as he stands. It’s not  _fair_. They’re pretending it didn’t happen.

.

It’s another party, only a week after the first one, and Jace is stone cold sober, his mood sour as he takes in the bright lights in Magnus’ darkened loft, the bass thrumming through the floor. He’s in the corner, leaning against the wall, and he thinks bitterly that it never ends, his cycle of falling love with all the wrong people.

Simon appears like Jace’s thoughts have summoned him, and his blue button-up has the top few buttons popped; Jace has the absurd urge to tell him to cover up.

“You’re not drinking?” Simon asks, and Jace looks at him.

“No.” He says, because how can it be a good idea? How can he stand here and pretend that he  _doesn’t_ desperately want to drown in Simon again?

“Why?” Simon persists, stepping closer to be heard, and Jace wants to back away further but he’s already trapped.

“Why do you think?” Jace mutter bitterly, and it’s too much too soon, playing all his cards at once, his heart on his sleeve, and Simon reels back like he’s been slapped.

“Sorry that sleeping with me was  _such_ a nightmare.” He says coldly, and it feels like being doused in frigid water, to see the way Simon’s eyes glitter, and Jace’s fury rises out of him, sudden and overwhelming.

“You don’t get to say  _anything_ ,” Jace snaps, “you’re the one who wanted to pretend nothing happened.”

“ _Nothing_  – “ Simon growls wordlessly and shoves at Jace. “ _You_ ran out on  _me_!”

“I’m  _not_  going to be your rebound, I am  _not_  your second choice, Simon.” Jace says, and his voice is wrecked and anguished and he feels like he’s suffocating. He needs to get out of here. He pushes away from the wall, barely looking at Simon as he shoves his way through the crowd and tries to get to the door, tries to get  _out_ , but there’s a hand on his wrist and he’s suddenly being spun around and pushed down a corridor. 

It’s Simon, his eyes blazing as Jace stumbles backwards, right into an open room, and it’s a painful echo of the last time they were here, with Jace laid out bare in front of Simon, every wall he’d ever put up crumbling in the wake of Simon’s force.

“I’d been in love with you for  _months_ ,” Simon says, his voice hard and angry, “and Clary and I broke up because trying to forget about our feelings for other people  _wasn’t working out_.  _You_  don’t get to decide what I feel.”

“What do you feel.” Jace repeats dumbly, because he doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to accept this when he’s been torturing himself with it for what feels like the longest time. Simon knows how take him apart and put him back together and it  _hurts_ ; he wants to feel something more, he wants to be the reason Simon smiles.

“You’re who I want.” Simon says, and his voice is low, his hands shaking as they come up to grip Jace’s arms. “That night, I – it meant something to me. It meant everything.”

“Me too.” Jace half-whispers, and they’re looking at each other for half a second, moonlight filtering over Simon’s cheeks, the noise of the party muted behind them, and suddenly they’re both moving forward, throwing themselves at each other. They kiss, fiercely, like it’s the last chance they’ll get to, Simon immediately shoving his tongue down Jace’s throat and Jace slamming him against the closest wall. Simon’s nails rake down Jace’s back, and he feels the tell-tale bloom of pain, coupled with the sharp spike of pleasure at Simon marking him, Simon  _wanting_ him.

“I love you,” Jace manages to get out between kisses, cradling Simon’s face between his palms as he tugs at Simon’s bottom lip with his teeth, “and it’s killing me, it’s – I don’t know what to do.”

“I know.” Simon says, and it’s mournful, but his eyes are clear when he looks back at Jace. “I trust you.”

 _I don’t trust myself_ Jace wants to say, but it gets lost as Simon palms him roughly through his jeans and kisses him again, softer this time, sweeter. It’s gentle, and it breaks Jace’s heart. A clean cut, something that feels like a new beginning rather than an ending.

 _Okay_ , Jace thinks, and he kisses back. Somewhere in his chest, something delicately hopeful starts to bloom.


	15. feel it in my soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ vetralesbiannyx ](https://vetralesbiannyx.tumblr.com/) prompted: 
> 
> "prompt: jimon + childhood friends AU !! always like those, and i always wonder how that would like... impact jace and simon if they had been childhood friends from the start"

“Hey.” Jace says, inviting himself into Simon’s room and sprawling onto his desk chair. “‘Sup?”

Simon’s lying on his bed, earphones half in, and he glares at Jace as hard as he can - which isn’t much, given the fact that his mind is currently drowning in sorrow, and he just wants to curl up and die.

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t hear what happened. You’re here to gloat, aren’t you?” Simon snaps, and Jace shrugs. 

“I told you in  _fifth grade_  that that dude was bad news, it’s been seven years since then.” Jace reminds him. He’s looking at Simon’s posters now, not even looking at him as he says, softly, “You didn’t even  _think_  about listening to me.” 

“Sorry, yeah,” Simon bites out, “except he was the only one who invited me to prom and unlike you, I  _don’t_ have dates just lined up? So I can’t afford to be picky - “

“Will you shut the fuck up?” Jace says, exasperated, and Simon sits up in bed,  _furious_ , when Jace continues, “You would  _never_ let any one of us say that about ourselves, but you can say that about  _yourself_? Anyone would be lucky to have you, Simon, you can’t settle.” 

Simon’s stunned into a furious silence, glaring petulantly at Jace, because Jace is  _right_ , and he hates that, hates that Jace knows him almost as well as Clary. And this boy, with his infuriatingly gorgeous body is nice to Simon in his own way, surprisingly sweet, and  _fuck_  it’s just not fair and it doesn’t help Simon get over the feelings he’s had for Jace for years. 

“Whatever.” Simon sighs, and flops back into bed. 

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Jace asks, and Simon rolls away from him so he doesn’t have to  _look_  at Jace sitting in his room like he belongs there. 

“You always are.” Simon says dully. 

There’s silence, and then the sound of Jace moving, the bed dipping as he sits near Simon. A tentative hand comes up to stroke his back, Jace’s long fingers  _burning_  a path through the thin material of Simon’s shirt. 

“You’ll be okay.” Jace says quietly. “You will.” 

“Like I was okay in middle school when Georgie Chen dumped her juice all over me for not being a cool enough date to the movies?” Simon asks wryly, and he hears Jace laugh, the small, throaty one that makes little dimples appear in Jace’s cheeks. 

“If I’m remembering correctly, I also dumped  _my_  juice over Georgie Chen for that, so  _I_  think that went fine.” Jace remarks, and Simon smiles at that, shaking his head as he sits up, sitting cross-legged on the bed and facing Jace. 

“Yeah, but that  _cemented_  your popularity. ‘ _Ooooh_ , I’m Jace Herondale, I’m too cool for the cool kids, I wore tiny leather jackets when I was in elementary school and my hair swishes in the wind like I’m in a commercial - “ Simon sings, adopting a falsetto and ducking as Jace throws a pillow at him, laughing. 

“ _I’m_ Simon Lewis,” Jace says, deepening his voice and turning his nose up, “I corrected the math teacher in ninth grade and now I’m the  _math nerd_  and I know ever single Nicolas Cage movie like nobody’s business but I like to wear graphic tees and pretend I’m a punk rocker - “

“I’m a superstar and you know it.” Simon says, making finger guns. 

“Damn, and we’re all just along for the ride.” Jace says, propping his chin up in his hands and looking at Simon fondly. Simon grins, because Jace is his  _best friend_ , and maybe prom didn’t work out, but - he still has this, still gets this side of Jace that no one else gets to see. And that’s enough for him. 

.

Three weeks later, his phone shrilly and insistently rings, rousing him from his Brooklyn 99 marathon on prom night. He blinks down at the caller ID, frowning as he picks up. 

“Hey,” he greets Clary, “shouldn’t you be getting read to go to prom, Fray? Izzy’s picking you up soon, isn’t she?” 

“ _Yes_.” Clary says, and she sounds like she’s out of breath and running. “ _But_ change of plans, I’m getting ready at your house.” 

“Uh - “ Simon says, but then his front door rings and he slowly pauses the episode on his laptop as his sister goes to get it. 

“Clary?” Rebecca’s surprised voice echoes. Simon jumps up and runs to the front door, where he sees Clary lugging a huge duffel bag and two large dry-cleaning bags, whispering furiously to Rebecca. “Oh my  _god_  - yes, I approve - Mom’s not here - well, I’ll just do all the -  _yes_ , I love this plan!”

“What plan?” Simon asks immediately, narrowing his eyes at his sister and his best friend. “Don’t like the collusion that’s going on here, no, nope, betrayed by my very best friend in  _my_  house, under  _my_ roof - “

“No time for yapping, Simon.” Rebecca says impatiently, one hand on her hip as she makes a shooing motion. 

“She’s right.” Clary hums as she dumps the dry cleaning in his hands and tugs on his hands. “Come on, we’re already behind schedule.”

“Behind -  _what_?” Simon asks, bewildered, as he follows her to his room. She throws the duffel on his bed and takes one of the bags, the plastic riding up to reveal the shimmery green dress he helped her pick out. “Clary,  _what_?” He repeats helplessly. 

“You’re going to prom.” Clary says, beaming at him. “There’s someone that’s wanted for a very long time to go with you, and in a burst of bravery - and pain, because someone slapped some sense into them - they’ve decided to use the tickets they bought for the two of you and take you to prom!” 

“Who - what - you  _slapped_ someone into going to prom with me?” Simon blinks, feeling like he’s  _rapidly_  losing control of the situation. 

“Not me.” Clary says airily. “Though I wish I had. I promise its a good date, you’re definitely going to like it. Now go change into your suit, please.” 

“ _Suit_  - “ Simon looks at the bag in his hands and slides the plastic up, revealing midnight-blue fabric. “ _Holy_  shit this is way out of my price range, where’d you get this?” 

“Magnus, of course. Raphael picked it out from Magnus’ selection.” Clary answers. She pauses, and then very seriously takes Simon’s hand. 

“Hey,” she says quietly, “trust me, okay? This person really likes you, and  _all_ of us think that they’ll be good for you. You’ll like them. Let me help you get ready?” 

“All of you guys?” Simon swallows. “Even Jace approves?” 

Jace, who’s notoriously hard to please; Jace, who’s obnoxiously insulted everyone who’s looked twice at Simon; Jace, who’s quietly helped Simon through every disappointment and made Simon fall harder and harder for him - 

“Even Jace.” Clary smiles. “Ready?” 

Simon’s silent for a second, looking at the suit and thinking about how even if it’s not with Jace, he deserves to be happy. Maybe he should give this mysterious suitor a chance. 

“Alright.” He answers finally, and can’t help but smile in response to Clary  _beaming_  at him. “Alright, alright, you win, Fray!” 

“Damn right I do!” She says, pleased with herself. “Now  _go_.” 

Clary manages to get him  _and_  herself ready in record time, and they’re both dressed, hair styled, in less than forty minutes. Simon stares at the person in the mirror, and can’t quite believe it’s him. The suit fits like a dream, makes his legs look longer and his torso broader.  _Logically_ , he knows he’s not bad-looking, but the suit makes it much easier to feel that way too. He looks at his carefully coiffed hair, and he nods, sliding his glasses off. 

“ _What_  are you doing?” Clary asks, slipping into her heels and fixing one of her earrings on. She looks  _gorgeous_ , impeccable in her makeup and curls, and Simon’s not sure what black magic she worked to get herself ready at the same time. “Keep your glasses on.”

“I look better with contacts?” Simon asks more than he says. He’s  _pretty_ sure that was the consensus among his friends. Clary shakes her head, smiling. 

“This person specifically told me to make sure you didn’t take them off, because - and I quote - they’re a part of you.” She says, and Simon can’t  _breathe_  for a long second, because that’s just about the most damn beautiful thing he’s ever heard, and it makes him feel like he could fly. 

“Okay,” he croaks out, sliding his glasses back on, “okay, this person’s a romantic.” 

“Hey,” Rebecca sticks her head into his room, “they’re all here, Simon’s date is ready.” 

“Finally.” Clary grabs her purse and moves to the door. “I’m gonna go out first, and you can follow right after, yeah?”

“Okay.” Simon says, his mouth suddenly dry and his hands clammy. Clary squeezes his shoulder before she takes off, and he’s left with just Rebecca. 

“Becks.” He says weakly, gesturing to himself. “I - “

“You look good, Si.” She says softly, smiling sadly at him. “You look just like Dad, you know. Except for the nose.” She taps his nose. “That’s Mom all the way.”

“Aw,  _Becks_.” He says, flushing. 

“Don’t get sappy on me now.” She teases, and then she gestures to the hallway. “Well? Go find your date.” 

Simon nods, and bites his lips as he moves to the front door. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath with his hand on the door handle. 

This is going to be fine. This is going to be  _fine_. 

He opens the door and looks out into the night; the path to the front door is lit brightly by the front porch lamp, white light glowing softly around a figure with soft blonde hair and unbearably adoring blue-brown eyes. 

“Hey,” Jace says, holding out a rose to Simon, a blinding smile on his face as he looks at Simon, “wanna go to prom with me?” 

“ _Jace_?” Simon croaks out, taking the rose numbly, his mind not quite comprehending. 

“I got it on very good authority that all the time I was pining, it wasn’t actually as hopeless as I thought? So, uh,” he gestures to Simon, “I wanted to give you the prom you deserve. And I want to - try to be the boyfriend you deserve. If you’d let me.” 

Jace is wearing a black suit with a tie to match Simon’s, his eyes hopeful and sincere. He looks  _good_ , like a dream out of some fairy tale, and more importantly - 

He’s the boy that hit Simon in the face with a basketball in fourth grade and then led him around school for the rest of the day, holding his hand, because Simon couldn’t see out of his swollen eye; he’s the boy that taught Simon how to play the guitar in middle school and encouraged him to try for his first gig; he’s the boy that stood by Simon through everything. Simon’s never felt this way about anyone. 

Heart in his throat, he steps forward and curls his fingers in Jace’s tie and yanks him forward, kissing him on the porch, slow and sweet as the crickets chirp around them. 

.

Six years later, Jace leads him on a walk through his old neighborhood. 

“Hey.” Simon says, nudging him as Jace shivers. “You’re thinking too hard.” He reaches over and tightens Jace’s scarf around his neck, his fingers lingering against the underside of Jace’s jaw. 

“You don’t think  _enough_.” Jace responds, smirking, as he catches Simon’s wrist and tangles their fingers together, squeezing reassuringly. Simon hums and drives his foot down against a pile of dry leaves, relishing in the crunch that sounds from it. 

“Did you remember to drop the truck off at the mechanic?” Simon asks absently. Jace’s coffee truck is doing well enough to have expanded into two more trucks, run by his employees. 

“Yeah.” Jace abruptly stops, turning to look at Simon. “Hey, remember this wall?” 

Simon looks at it and laughs. It’s a little alley tucked away behind the driveways of the houses, and it’s got graffiti from the generations of kids that have lived there; Rebecca and her friends are by Simon and Clary’s heart with their initials in it, Jace’s barely legible scrawl across it all, with Izzy and Alec beneath that.

“I was  _so_  angry when you wrote over our names.” Simon recalls, and he squats down and traces over the heart he and Clary drew over their names when they were eleven. “Here Clary and I were, promising to marry each other when we grew up, and you just came in and scribbled all over it.”

“I was jealous.” Jace laughs a little. “I wanted to have all your attention, and instead she got it.” 

“You always had my attention.” Simon stands up and smiles at Jace, who grins and hooks his hands in Simon’s pockets to bring him closer, walking him backwards at the same time until they’re pressing against the wall, kissing softly. 

They break apart when they hear a car passing by, and make the trek to the Lewis house, bumping shoulders. 

“You think I can go back and scribble the heart out even more?” Jace wonders as they climb the front steps. “I don’t want  _our_  kids to one day find that Aunt Clary and Dad had a heart thing going on.” 

“Our kids?” Simon grins, something warm and soft fluttering in his chest. Jace looks at him like  _he’s_ the stupid one. 

“Of course.” Jace says. “I’ve had you for thirteen years, Lewis, you think I’m ever going to let you go now? Is it not obvious that you’re stuck with me?” 

“It is.” Simon kisses him again, quick and chaste, before he rings the bell, his heart swelling. “It  _is_.” 

.

That night, before they go back home to the apartment, they add a postscript to the graffiti heart: 

_P.S. - JH + SL Forever_


	16. sail the seven seas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted:
> 
> "jimon + jace taking a simon 101 class??? idk what this is"

**_to: parabrotai, izzybelle, clearlyfray, supermaia_ **

_[jace] i can’t believe i’m stooping to this, but how can i win simon over?_

_._

_i. **[izzybelle]: simon likes those lame pick up lines, and puns, and bad jokes.**_

“Simon.” Jace calls out as he slips out of the Hunter’s Moon. “Wait up.” 

“Well this is a surprise.” Simon says cheerfully, his hands in his pocket. “What brings you to my side of the docks?”

Jace snorts. 

“Alcohol.” He jerks his head at the bar. “What, you heading back to the boathouse?” 

“I have a 9 AM class tomorrow, yeah.” Simon says.  _Right_. Simon’s going to NYU now, trying to get a normal life back. Jace isn’t sure how he manages to go to class in the morning and then sneak into their missions at night. How is he  _sleeping_?

“I’ll walk you back.” Jace says, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“I’m not a damsel in distress.” Simon scowls at him. 

“But what if  _I_  am?” Jace asks, smiling winningly and strolling alongside Simon. This is easy for him. Flirting is a game he knows. Too bad it _never_  works on Simon. 

Case in point - 

“I get it, you’re the big bad Shadowhunter and I need to stop interrupting your missions.” Simon’s frown deepens. “I  _said_  I was sorry.” Jace blinks at him and sighs. 

“That’s not what I meant at all. It was a  _joke_.” He supplies, helpfully. 

“That’s not a  _joke_. Here’s a  _joke_.” Simon says, snapping his fingers, his eyes brightening. “What’s the ocean stressed out about?” 

“Global warming.” Jace says immediately. “Melting ice caps. The polar bears - “

“ _Current events_.” Simon snickers, and Jace tries hard not to let that get to him, but he can’t help the tiny snort and his lips twitching upwards. “See!” Simon crows, pushing excitedly at Jace’s shoulders. “You  _do_  think I’m funny.”

“I think,” Jace says, arching an eyebrow, “that you’re not taking global warming seriously enough, Simon.”

“ _Not taking -_ you’re a real piece of work, Jace.” Simon says, sighing, but he’s smiling too. Jace grins again and waggles his eyebrows. 

“A piece that everyone wants.” He tries again, and this time Simon blushes and shoves him. He misjudges his own strength and sends Jace careening into the lamp post. “ _Jace_  - shit!” He’s immediately in front of Jace, fussing over him for injuries. Which -  _ridiculous_. Jace is a Shadowhunter. He fights off  _demons_ , and Simon’s still afraid of his own strength in comparison. 

“Hey, chill, I’m fine.” Jace says, straightening up and laughing. “It’s just so easy to fall for you, Simon.” He winks, for added effect.

Simon storms off. 

Well. Back to the drawing board, then. 

_._

_ii. **[supermaia]: you should wine and dine him, he’s into cheesy shit like that. like a proper, romantic date - if you even know what romance means, herondale.**_

“Hey!” Simon skids to a stop in front of Jace, breathless. “Sorry I’m late! You said to dress nice, and, well, I’ve got a lot more options since Raphael forced me to update my wardrobe.” 

“Forced?” Jace asks skeptically, trying his hardest not to ogle at Simon. It’s a  _difficult_  task when Simon’s in a tailored blue button-up, the sleeves rolled to just below his elbows, his dark jeans ending in smart looking oxfords. 

“Raphael doesn’t hold with even  _exiled_ members of his clan looking like a fashion travesty.” Simon grins at him. “So what’s this undercover mission? Are one of the waiters demons?” 

“Oh. Hm. Yeah.” Jace clears his throat and folds his arms. “Our source reported that the demon’s moved on, but Alec wants us to check the place out just in case.” 

“Argh, really? So this is like a throwaway mission?” Simon asks, scuffing his shoe on the ground. The valet’s starting to look at them funny, and Jace realizes with a jolt that he still has his glamour rune on. He hurriedly tugs Simon into the shadows and lets his eyes flash, activating the rune again as he slides his hand down to grip Simon’s. The valet stares hard at the spot where Simon must have just disappeared. 

“You sound really disappointed.” Jace remarks, his grip on Simon’s hand tight. “It’s a free fancy meal.” 

“I want to  _help_.” Simon scowls at Jace. He hasn’t let go of Jace’s hand either. Jace’s heart starts to pound faster, and he’s sure Simon can hear it. He doesn’t care, he  _wants_  Simon to hear it, wants Simon to understand how much Jace wants this. 

“You  _always_ help, why not take a day for yourself and put it on my card?” Jace asks, cajoling him. Simon squints. 

“You -” He says incredulously, and then he stops. And starts again. “You have a  _credit card_?” 

Jace gives him a look. “How did you think I lived in New York? Do you think I just fight demons and then power off for the day or something?” 

“Or  _something_.” Simon says wonderingly. “So like, what, you go grocery shopping and stuff? You go to the library? Do you - “

“I  _told_  you I go to book club.” Jace says, feeling peeved. “I’m just a normal guy, Simon.” 

“That”, Simon says, pointing at Jace triumphantly, “is the most humble thing I’ve ever heard you say. Well done. Congratulations.” His cheeks dimple as he grins impishly at Jace, and Jace can’t help but shake his head, the corners of his mouth twitching. 

“Careful,” Jace teases, “that was almost a compliment.” He lets go of Simon’s hand and steps away, trying not to feel disappointed as he smooths the lapels of his jacket. It was a long shot anyway, he thinks to himself. 

Simon’s staring at him, his brow furrowed and his expression thoughtful. “You wanna go get burgers then?” 

Jace sighs and shakes his head fondly. He can go home and sulk about not getting a date with Simon, or he can get burgers with his friend. The choice is pretty easy. 

“Yeah, let’s go get burgers. You can watch me eat and be sad.” 

.

_iii._ **_[parabrotai]: i’m no expert but i’ve been told you should try to talk about your feelings?? like be open. don’t hide stuff. i think simons into that kind of communication thing_ **

“I play the piano.” Jace says as he drops into the seat next to Simon in the Institute’s kitchen. He means to say it conversationally, like an opening to better topics, but instead he blurts it out into the silence. Simon raises an eyebrow and takes out one earphone. 

“Huh.” He says, tilting his head. “This may come as a surprise to you, but you lose this competition. I play the piano too.” 

“You play the  _keyboard_.” Jace scoffs back automatically, before he backtracks. “No, no, I meant - you know. Now you know. I play the piano.” 

“Okay.” Simon agrees bemusedly, sipping at his cup of blood. “Now I know? What, are you trying to tell me I play the piano  _badly_? I thought you  _liked_  my songs - “

“I do.” Jace shakes his head as he crosses his arms and leans against the counter, grinning. “Angel help me, I’m not sure why, but I do.” 

“ _Hey_.” Simon throws his wadded up napkin at Jace, who ducks, laughing. “I’m a hot Downworlder commodity.” Jace raises an eyebrow, and waits - 

Simon flushes an attractive pink. “I mean - like I’m popular - like not  _hot_ hot - you know what, I think I am, honestly, what - “

“Don’t worry your pretty face.” Jace says sincerely, patting Simon’s cheek as he pushes off the counter and goes in search of a mug to make himself tea. Simon splutters behind him. 

“Are you making fun of me? You’re making fun of me.” Simon declares. Jace hides his smile as he roots through the cabinets. 

“I’m not.” 

“I don’t even know whether to believe you or not. You’re messing with my mind, man.” Simon moans, a  _thunk_ sounding. Jace turns to see that Simon’s let his head fall forward on the counter, desolately draped over it like some sort of tragic hero. 

“Write a song about it, why don’t you.” Jace says, grinning. Simon  _bolts_  upright at that, a strange gleam in his eyes.

So he never actually gets to have a conversation with Simon about  _feelings_ , but they do spend the next hour creating increasingly awful lyrics for a song. It’s  _something_. 

But he’s getting  _tired_  of being rejected unwittingly at every turn. It feels like maybe friendship is all he’s ever gonna get from Simon, and that’s fine. It’s  _fine_. Whatever puts that stupidly gorgeous smile on Simon’s face is enough for him. 

**_iv. [clearlyfray]: don’t be an idiot. just be you. he likes YOU_ **

Jace goes into a state of shock when he reads Clary’s text. She looks over at him, through the crowd at Hunter’s Moon for Simon’s gig, and  _winks_. He splutters into his beer and looks back at Simon, who’s  _really_  getting into it now, his eyes lowered as he croons into the mic. Strobe lights flash around them, and the crowd is loud and wild; Simon’s a popular act. 

He waits through the set, his heart in his throat as he obsessively smooths his thumb over his phone screen. When Simon finally finishes, Jace forcefully pushes through the crowd until he can clamp a hand around Simon’s shoulder. 

“ _You_ ,” He hisses, and Simon looks at him, alarmed, “Come on, we have to talk.” 

“ _Izzy if he kills me you’re my witness!”_ Simon screeches as Jace drags him out through the back door. Jace snorts. 

“Shut up.” He commands, unable to stop himself from smiling at Simon, a fond feeling bubbling in his chest. “I’m not -  _Simon_. You  _idiot_.” 

“You know, I just - yeah, I’m lost at this point.” Simon says, bemused. “You alright, buddy?” Jace ignores him. 

“I’ve been flirting with you for  _weeks._ ” He murmurs softly, stepping closer and noting the way Simon’s eyes widen and his lips part ins surprise. “I even asked  _Maia_  for help, and - now Clary tells me I didn’t have to try so hard.” 

“ _You_  - flirting?” Simon asks helplessly. “I thought you were just - being you.” 

“Yeah.” Jace presses closer, and Simon swallows, holding his ground, looking up at Jace through his lashes. He’s almost Jace’s height, but his eyes are absurdly large and beautiful, and it’s  _embarrassing_  how weak Jace is for everything about Simon Lewis. “Apparently you  _like_  that, even though I made a fool of myself.” 

“I do.” Simon agrees nervously, biting his lip. “God help me, I do. I never thought I could have this, though.” 

“Neither did I.” Jace admits, honestly, and it’s his heart on his sleeve as he stares at Simon. 

“Fuck,  _Jace_ ,” Simon says, and then he launches forward and crashes their lips together, hard and demanding. The kiss is fierce, unyielding, taking Jace apart and stitching him back together as Simon’s tongue parts his lips like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Jace is breathless with desire, an overwhelming  _want_  clouding his mind as he knots his fingers in Simon’s hair and pulls him closer, pulls him in to take everything that Simon’s willing to give. 

They kiss for hours, or minutes, or seconds; all Jace knows is that he has to rip himself away at the end to suck in deep, ragged breaths, shaking as he leans against Simon. Simon, the rat bastard, just laughs, content with not needing to breathe. 

“That was awesome.” Simon enthuses, his arms encircling Jace’s waist. His smile crinkles the corners of his eyes, and he traces a thumb over Jace’s cheek. It’s soft in a way that Jace is still getting used to, and he hums and leans into the touch. 

“Just shut up,” He says, laughing breathlessly, “and kiss me.” 

And Simon does. 


	17. easier than breathing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon prompted:
> 
> "jimon + friends with benefits!!!!!!!!! ahhhhh"

“Okay,” Simon says, stabbing at the air emphatically, “okay, hypothetical. You, versus like, Superman. Who would win?”

Jace groans, rolls over, half-heartedly slaps at Simon’s shoulder.

“I don’t  _know_.” He groans, clearly over the whole conversation. “You just had your dick in my ass, and you can still  _think_?”

“These are important questions,  _Jace_.” Simon says, propping himself up and scratching at his chest as he stares at Jace curled up on his side, hair falling softly in front of his face like some sort of angel. An angel that likes to weave extravagant lies about the Shadow world to trick Simon and then whisper filthy things to him when they fuck.

Jace glares at him, looking like a ruffled kitten.

“Get out.” he says irritably, and Simon shrugs and stands, shimmying on his boxers. Contrary to what Clary says, he  _can_  in fact do casual friends with benefits with Jace, thanks for the trust,  _Fray_.

“Don’t miss my skills too much.” He says, winking exaggeratedly as he pulls his shirt on, and Jace groans and thumps his face into the pillow.

“I’d win against Superman.” He mumbles. “I have a fucking sword, Simon.”

.

The first time Simon has any inkling at all that Jace isn’t one-hundred percent straight is when they all go to the beach, on one of Clary’s everyone-has-to-bond kicks that lately Alec’s been endorsing, trying to be a leader and all that, and Jace’s heartbeat just  _rockets_  through the roof when Simon takes his shirt off.

“Are you having a  _heart attack_?” Simon hisses, and Jace frowns, pushes his sunglasses up his nose.

“No?” He says, looks at Simon like  _he’s_  the one with his heart sounding like it’s exploding. He walks off into the waves, smirking, and dives smoothly into the water, and  _wow_ , Simon hates how good he is at that.

“He thinks you’re  _hot_.” Maia smirks at him from over her book. “ _Obviously_.”

“That’s - “ Simon squints at her. She can smell arousal with her wolf senses. “Huh. Okay.”

.

Sex with Jace is good. It’s  _really, really_ good.

“God,” Simon babbles, his throat working easily past the holy word as Jace kneels between Simon’s spread thighs, cheeks hollowed around Simon’s dick and a sparkle of amusement in his eyes as he looks up through his lashes, “no  _wonder_  everyone wants to sleep with you, your  _mouth_  - “

Jace pulls off and starts laughing, his eyes falling shut and crinkling. Simons scowls, arches up into Jace’s touch.

“Shut up, shut  _up_ , it’s true, put your hand back on my dick - “

“Yeah, okay,” Jace wheezes, one hand easily slicking up and down Simon’s cock, the other clutching Simon’s thigh as he presses his forehead to Simon’s sternum, cackling like a maniac as he brings Simon off.

It shouldn’t be as much of a turn-on as it is, but the laughter is more fond than anything, and Jace’s smile is nice. That’s the  _only_  reason Simon comes with a shout, fingers tangled in Jace’s hair as Jace grins at him, an unrepentant show-off.

.

The first time Jace kisses him is after a training session with Alec, which is a  _thing_  that’s happening partly because Alec and Simon are  _something_ approaching friends, thanks to Magnus’ insistence, and because it’s good PR for Alec to be helping the brand new Daylighter.

“Better.” Alec says as Simon’s flung to the other side of the room,  _again_. “We’re done for today.” He sounds unimpressed, but he  _always_  sound unimpressed.

“ _Fuck_.” Simon groans, rolling onto his back and choosing to stay there. “When do we get to do archery? Seems less painful.”

Alec snorts. “You wanna learn archery? Sure. Next week.  _After_  sparring.”

“ _Alec_.” Simon whines, and Alec raises an eyebrow as he steps past Simon’s outstretched legs and goes towards the door. Simon closes his eyes, listens to the sound of the wind picking up outside the windows.

“Did you  _kill_  him?” a voice asks, amused.

“Obviously not.” Alec responds as he leaves, and Simon cracks an eye open to see Jace walking over to him, dressed in his workout gear, smirking as he flips his hair out of his face.

“Come on, nerd.” Jace says, extending a hand. “Get up.”

Simon grabs the hand and hoists himself up, and then he’s promptly dropped on his ass again.

“ _Dude_.” He frowns up at Jace, who’s staring really hard at Simon’s arms and looks like he’s considering homicide. “Did you do that on purpose?”

“No,” Jace says, and then, “You’re  _hot_ ,” which is the worst non sequitur, but then he’s thrown himself down and Simon has a lap full of gorgeous Shadowhunter and his mouth is too busy kissing Jace to say anything mean about Jace dropping him, and then their tongues slide together and Simon just gives up on thinking.

.

Sometimes Jace corners him in the most inconvenient places, determined beyond all belief to have semi-public sex. It’s a streak of exhibitionism that isn’t helped by the fact that he can now stele-lessly keep his glamour rune activated for as long as he needs.

Like, Simon’s all for this great fuckbuddy thing they have going, but around the corner from the DuMort is  _not_ how he wants this to go down.

“Stop, stop,” he’s laughing as Jace mouths at his neck, “the clan’s gonna find me and stake me.”

“They’re not going to stake you.” Jace mumbles into Simon’s skin, and then he  _bites_ , his blunt teeth setting Simon’s nerves alight. Simon’s laugh turns into a breathy half-moan, and he clutches at Jace’s shoulders.

“They  _are_.” He says. “Also it’s like one in the afternoon, everyone can  _see_  us.” Jace lifts his head up, tightens his grip on Simon’s waist, and just  _looks_  at him. The sun is high in the sky, filtering through Jace’s hair, everything in high color. Simon kind of wants to  _die_  (again) at how beautiful Jace is, how sincere his eyes are.

“I can’t believe you’re saying no to  _sex_.” Jace says finally, peeved. Simon rolls his eyes.

“I’m saying no to a public quickie.” He counters. “Anyway, you know what’s better than sex?” Jace gives him a look, so Simon barrels on, “Milkshakes!”

“You’re out of control.” Jace shakes his head, but he’s smiling. Simon hums.

“I’m craving  _milkshakes_.” He cajoles. “I even brought my blood flask, to make it vamp-friendly.”

“Alright.” Jace ducks down, presses a kiss to the corner of Simon’s mouth. “Let’s do that then.”

Simon’s chest begins to ache.

.

The first time they have sex is weeks after they kiss. Simon spends most of the time in between quietly panicking and sniping at Jace more than usual.

“This,” Alec says, waving a hand at Simon and Jace both glaring at each other across the mission table, “needs to stop. I don’t care what’s happening. It’s bringing morale down.”

“It’s not -  _morale_? I don’t work here.” Simon says.

“Thank God for that.” Jace snaps, and Simon bares his fangs at him. Duncan, passing by, flinches backwards.

“ _Vampire_ , “ he hollers, clutching his heart like an idiot, “the vampire’s getting angry!”

Raj reaches over and shoves him without even looking, intently focused on his phone, still playing Candy Crush like he’s eighty years old. “You can’t say that, you douche. It’s just Simon.”

“Simon,” Duncan persists, “who is a  _vampire_  - “

“You wanna try me, Duncan?” Jace suddenly snaps, turning and leveling his glare at the shorter Shadowhunter. Duncan swallows.

“ _Fine_.” He says, and Raj finally looks up.

“Come on Duncan,” he says, “let’s go somewhere before one of the Lightwoods kill you. I’ll tell you all the ways you’re wrong.”

“Like  _you’re_  any better.” Duncan mutters, but he lets himself be pulled away, cheeks coloring slightly.

“I don’t know what’s happening with  _that_ ,” Alec says, looking horrified as he sees Duncan and Raj walk away together, “and I’m not sure I  _want_  to know.”

“They’re sleeping with each other.” Izzy flicks through her tablet, and then looks up at them. “Obviously.” Clary chokes on nothing.

“ _That’s_  a good cure for fighting.” She says slyly, because she’s an evil, evil girl.

“I don’t like this entire conversation.” Alec announces. “So I’m leaving, but you two,” he glares at Jace and Simon, “pull yourselves together.”

So in hindsight, when Jace tracks him down an hour later and shoves him against the wall in a supply closet, he should have seen this coming. There’s a hungry glint in Jace’s eyes as he briefly kisses Simon, hard and then says “This doesn’t mean anything, Lewis.”

Simon grins, nods, and says “I think you’ll like it better if - “ And he turns and slams  _Jace_  against the wall, pinning his wrists above his head, and Jace’s surprised moan is music to his ears.

.

“ _My eyes_!” Clary shrieks, and Jace falls out of bed. Simon just groans and cracks his eyes open, in time to see Clary slap her hand over her face.

“Put on some clothes.” She says.

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.” Jace smirks. “You’ve slept with both of us.”

“This is why I like girls.” she wails. Simon closes his eyes and snuggles deeper into his nest of blankets. Unless Clary comes up with a life or death situation, he’s going back to sleep.

“What do you need?” Jace asks, and Simon can hear the sounds of Jace getting up, presumably with pants on.

“There was a report about upper Manhattan, and Alec wanted both of your opinions on…” Simon nods off, slipping back into a comfortable half-asleep state. From very far away, he listens hazily to Clary and Jace’s voices drop lower and lower as they talk business.

“ - tell Alec I’ll come by later. I want to let Simon sleep for a little while longer.”

“Longer? How much longer?”

“At least an hour. He’s tired. I wore him out, if you know what I mean.”

There’s a smack then, like Clary’s slapped Jace’s shoulder for being crass. Jace laughs.

“Just kidding, calm down. He had an exam yesterday. I - he could use the rest.”

Silence ensues. Simon drifts deeper and deeper into sleep; he wishes Jace would come back into the bed. The feeling of Jace’s warm skin, his heart steady in Simon’s ear - Simon’s body  _craves_  the comfort of Jace. He’s a little frightened with how intense it feels to think about Jace, a little like he’s jumped off a cliff without knowing it.

“Jace.” It’s Clary’s voice, a soft, sympathetic exhale, and Simon feels like he’s missed something important when he feels Jace’s hand stroke back the hair from his face and Jace respond, with a heavy sadness in his voice, “I know. I know.”

.

The first time Simon stays the night, it’s because he nearly dies. He’s not really trained to watch for demons sneaking up on him, so when he goes down during a mission - and  _stays_  down - all hell breaks loose. He only regains consciousness later that night, waking up blearily in the spare room at Magnus’ to find Jace draped half-over him, asleep.

“Hey.” Simon rasps, gently shaking Jace’s shoulder. “ _Hey_.”

Jace bolts upright, his eyes hard until they land on an awake Simon, and then something softens in his face.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, and it’s such a  _normal_  question. It’s none of Jace’s usual snark or banter - just Jace, his lips parted, his eyes earnest. It makes Simon feel like he’s sixteen and kissing a boy for the first time, the slow start of butterflies in his stomach.

“Like I was hit by a bus.” Simon jokes, and then he sobers up. “Good. I feel rested.” Jace nods, and there’s a moment of comfortable silence between them.

“I’ll go wake Clary and the others up.” Jace offers, sliding off the bed. Simon reaches out without thinking, fingers slipping around Jace’s wrist, tugging him down.

“Wait.” He says softly, and then he’s kissing Jace, deep and hungry, and then they’re moving together, languid and slow in the night air, arching under each other, ragged moans torn from their throats, until they collapse back onto the bed, and the last thing Simon sees before he falls asleep is the way Jace’s eyes flutter shut, his fingers tangled with Simon’s.

.

And the first time it all falls apart -

“Hey,” Jace says when he catches Simon after his gig at the bar, “you free?” He waggles his eyebrows outrageously, his eyes crinkling as he smirks.

Simon, his veins still alight with the thrill of performing, grins a little maniacally at Jace.

“For you, always.” he says, and he hears it as soon as he says it -

His voice is breathy, and affectionate, and he’s pretty sure his eyes are warm, too warm, and  _fuck_ , the pieces fall into place; this is heart on the line. Jace makes him vulnerable and open and this is the most terrible thing that’s happened to him because this was just supposed to be about sex. This was  _just supposed to be sex_.

And now Jace is reeling back like he’s been slapped, his eyes wide-open and horrified, and Simon can’t think, can’t breathe, can’t -

“Simon.” Jace says hoarsely.

“I’m sorry.” Simon says, before he flees.

.

This is their real first time -

Jace runs after Simon, feet pounding on the pavement as he activates his speed rune. Simon keeps going, blindly throwing open the door to the boathouse and stumbling in, his heart in pieces. When Jace staggers into him, breathing hard, only a few minutes later, Simon bites his lip and tries not to cry.

“I - “ Jace starts, and then he pauses, sucks in a deep lungful of air, and straightens up. “This has never been  _nothing_  to me.”

Simon thinks about the way Jace looks tangled up in the bedsheets, skin bare and golden in the moonlight, eyes alight with an adoration that Simon’s never seen in anyone’s eyes before. He thinks about the way their hands fit together so well, the fire between them that never goes away.

“ _You_.” Simon says furiously. “When you kissed me that first time - “

“God, Simon.” Jace looks at him, honest and sincere. “Even then.”

Simon can’t think past the roaring in his ears; when he curls his hands in Jace’s shirt and kisses him it feels like coming home, his heart settling into it’s place in Jace’s hands. Jace kisses him back slowly, sweetly, his hand cupping Simon’s jaw like it’s something breakable.

“I like you,” Simon murmurs, “I like you, I like you, you mean a whole lot of something to me.”

“ _Really_.” Jace says, walking Simon backwards until they hit the bed. He pushes Simon back, straddling him as he strips his shirt off, runes glinting in the dim light. “Fuck,  _Simon_.”

Words fail them, but it doesn’t matter; Simon feels helplessly overwhelmed by the swell of emotions in his chest, a feeling like jumping off a cliff - but this time, he knows exactly how high it is.

He looks at Jace, kisses him, and falls anyway.


End file.
